WNBA's Candace Parker Reflects on Raising Daughter Lailaa on the Road: 'Went Everywhere with Me' (Exclusive)
Parker shares her daughter with ex Shelden Williams
Candace Parker is opening up about her daughter's unconventional childhood.
In an exclusive clip from ESPN's new documentary Candace Parker: Unapologetic, the Las Vegas Aces basketball player discusses raising daughter Lailaa, now 14, as she pursued her basketball career around the world. Parker shares her daughter with ex-husband Shelden Williams.
"Lailaa went everywhere with me, and I don't think my team wherever I played would want me without her. We used to always say we're a team, right?" Parker begins.
The clip cuts to a video of the athlete and her daughter on an airplane. "Where are we going?" Parker asks a younger Lailaa. "Tianjin," Lailaa responds.
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"What country is that?" Parker asks. "China!" Lailaa says.
"What I remember, I just wanted to be with my parents and I wanted to be with my family and I wanted to have fun. And that's what I tried to do for Lailaa," Parker later says in a confessional.
"Her fun just happened to take place in an airport in Istanbul, Turkey or her crawling at an away game at Euro League. Or her trying potatoes for the first time in Spain. I think it's been amazing because her playground has literally been the world."
In 2021, Parker announced she was expecting her second baby, her first with wife Anna Petrakova. The athlete shared a carousel of photos on Instagram that also revealed for the first time that she and Petrakova were married.
"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…. To know me or you is to know our love. 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," Parker shared in her caption along with photos from their wedding.
"Thank you for always loving Lailaa as your own, 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," she continued.
Parker concluded, "We've always dreamed of growing our family….it's surreal that we now have a baby on the way! Lailaa is pumped to be a big sister! You couldn't be more beautiful! 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!"
Parker and Petrakova welcomed son Airr Larry Petrakov Parker, on Feb. 11, 2022.
Candace Parker: Unapologetic premieres Nov. 12. Parker is also attending the 14th annual espnW Women + Sports Summit, happening through Wednesday, to speak about her documentary.
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