Candace Parker, basketball player for the Chicago Sky, America’s Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), has publicly come out in a touching Instagram post. Candace took her second wedding anniversary with Anya Petrakova as a moment to celebrate the couple and their beautiful family.
Candace praised her wife, appreciating the ways their relationship has enriched both women’s lives: “Happy Anniversary Моя жена! 2 years ago, I got to marry my best friend in front of our close family and friends. My heart could have exploded. I cried like a baby….”
The pair wanted to make it clear they’ve never hidden their love from those closest to them. Their privacy was not, out of shame. “To know me or you is to know our love,” Candace said.
Perhaps the privacy allowed Candace and Anya to focus on building a solid foundation before exposing themselves to public scrutiny: “This journey hasn’t been easy. I am proud of us and what we have built and who we have grown to become both individually and together.”
Candace showered Anya with gratitude, especially for accepting her 12-year-old daughter, who she had with ex-husband, Sheldon Williams, as her own. “Thank you for always loving Lailaa as your own,” she said, “[for] being my calm, my support, my voice of reason, my laughs, my cuddles, my dance in the rain, my happy, my home… Thanks for constantly challenging me and telling me when I’m wrong 🙄. I LOVE YOU🐞 I appreciate you, I value you and what we have.”
The loved-up couple also shared they’re expecting a baby soon! “We’ve always dreamed of growing our family,” wrote Candace. “It’s surreal that we now have a baby on the way! Lailaa is pumped to be a big sister!”
Candace relished in the relief of disclosure, sharing intimate moments in the growing family. “You couldn’t be more beautiful!” She said about Anya. “Glowing, while understanding that I have to constantly love, kiss, and talk to your belly AND yes… play Jay-Z for the baby (Goose knows “Song Cry” already by heart😜 !) I can’t wait to embark on this next chapter in life with you!”
Why did Candace choose right now? Why not on the first anniversary? Perhaps it’s because Candace is on a high after an incredible year, both personally and professionally. “Parker’s big announcement caps an incredible year for the two-time WNBA MVP, who led her hometown Chicago Sky to the championship last season,” reported OutSports. “Her post-finals celebratory hug with [daughter] Lailaa was one of the most indelible images of the playoffs.”
