Shelden Williams shows that being a divorced father means more than just a title—it’s about actively setting aside your differences and prioritizing your child.
Highlights
- Candace Parker has championships with three different WNBA teams (Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky, and Las Vegas Aces) and made history as the first player to win both Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in the same season.
- After her eight-year marriage to former NBA player Shelden Williams ended in 2016, Parker married her former teammate, Anna Petrakova, in 2019. They have since welcomed two sons while co-parenting daughter Lailaa from her previous marriage.
- Beyond her playing career, Parker has established herself as a groundbreaking figure in sports media as an analyst for TNT Sports. She also became part of the ownership group for a professional women’s soccer team and recently transitioned to a leadership role as president of Adidas women’s basketball following her retirement in 2024.
Candace Nicole Parker, nicknamed “Ace,” has established herself as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time.
Her basketball journey began with an impressive high school career at Naperville Central High School in Illinois, where she led her team to Class AA state titles in 2003 and 2004.
Parker made history as a 15-year-old sophomore when she became the first female athlete in Illinois to dunk in a competition.
Her talent was recognized early, winning the USA Today High School Player of the Year award twice in 2003 and 2004, a rare achievement.
Parker’s collegiate career at the University of Tennessee was equally impressive.
After redshirting her first season due to a knee injury, she went on to lead the Lady Vols to consecutive national championships in 2007 and 2008, earning the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player award both times.
She made history again as the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game and the first to dunk twice in a college game, solidifying her reputation as a groundbreaking athlete.
Selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks, Parker immediately made an impact, becoming the first player to win both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season.
Throughout her professional career, she played for the Los Angeles Sparks for 13 seasons, followed by the Chicago Sky for two seasons, and the Las Vegas Aces for one season, remarkably winning a championship with each team.
Her accolades include two WNBA MVP awards (2008, 2013), a WNBA Finals MVP (2016), two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012), and numerous All-Star and All-WNBA team selections.
In April 2024, Parker announced her retirement from professional basketball, closing an extraordinary playing career before transitioning to a new role as president of Adidas women’s basketball.
Shelden Williams And Candace Parker Work Together To Ensure He Remains An Involved Baby Father
Shelden Williams and basketball superstar Candace Parker began their relationship while both were at the heights of their respective basketball careers.
Their romance blossomed as Parker was establishing herself as one of the most dominant forces in women’s basketball.
The basketball power couple made their relationship official on November 13, 2008, when they married, creating what many considered a sports dream team.
The couple welcomed their daughter, Lailaa Nicole Williams, in 2009, adding a new joy to their family life.
As both pursued their basketball careers, they appeared to balance family responsibilities and professional demands.
In 2013, they purchased a 7,000-square-foot home in Encino, Los Angeles, for $3.56 million, seemingly establishing a permanent base for their family.
However, after eight years of marriage, cracks began to show in their relationship.
In November 2016, Williams filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their separation.
Court documents revealed they had been living separately for three months prior to the divorce filing.
Despite the end of their marriage, both Williams and Parker prioritized their daughter’s well-being, agreeing to share joint custody with neither parent paying child support to the other.
Following their divorce, both Parker and Williams moved forward with their lives.
Williams established the Shelden Williams Foundation in 2019, focusing on empowering student-athletes and their families through initiatives promoting emotional and physical health, education, and community involvement.
Parker’s life took a new direction when she began a relationship with former Russian basketball player Anna Petrakova, whom she had met in 2012 while they were teammates at UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia.
Their friendship evolved into a romantic relationship over time, though both initially denied their feelings for three years before finally accepting them.
Parker proposed to Petrakova in April 2019 during a trip to Mexico for Parker’s birthday, with daughter Lailaa bringing out a cake that read, “Will you marry us?”
The proposal highlighted how Parker considered her daughter central to her life decisions, telling TIME magazine,
“She knows that Lailaa is the center of my entire universe. So we come in a package deal. It was important for the dynamic duo to be upgraded to the Big Three.”
PEOPLE
Parker and Petrakova married in December 2019 but kept their relationship private until December 14, 2021, when they announced both their marriage and that they were expecting their first child together.
Their son, Airr Larry Petrakov Parker, was born on February 11, 2022, joining his big sister Lailaa.
The family continued to grow when Petrakova gave birth to their second son, Hartt Summitt Petrakov Parker, on May 21, 2024.
While Williams remains connected to Parker through their co-parenting of Lailaa, both have established separate lives.
Their story demonstrates how relationships evolve and how family structures can change while maintaining respect and focusing on their shared commitment to their daughter’s well-being.
Williams has maintained a relatively private life throughout his post-NBA career, focusing on his foundation work and co-parenting responsibilities with Parker.
Though their marriage did not last, the positive co-parenting relationship they’ve established ensures that their daughter Lailaa benefits from the love and support of both parents, even as they’ve moved on to new chapters in their personal lives.
Despite their divorce, Williams and Parker represent a modern example of how former partners can successfully transition to effective co-parents, prioritizing their child’s needs above past differences.
Additional Information
- In 2020, Parker expanded her sports portfolio beyond basketball by becoming part of the ownership group of Angel City FC, a Los Angeles-based team in the National Women’s Soccer League that began competition in 2022.
- Since 2018, Parker has worked as an analyst and commentator for TNT Sports, providing coverage for NBA games and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and in 2023 she made history as the first woman color commentator for an NBA All-Star Game.
- During her college recruitment, Parker broke new ground in women’s sports media coverage when she announced her commitment to Tennessee live on ESPNEWS in November 2003, becoming the first female player to make her oral commitment on national television.
