Candace Parker doesn’t really do anything halfway. Whether it’s dunking in a game when nobody thought women could or should, or winning three titles with three different teams, she’s always lived life at full throttle. So, when people started asking is Candace Parker gay, the answer didn't come in a whisper. It came in a beautiful, loud, and long-awaited celebration of her truth.
Honestly, the timeline is what trips people up. For years, the public narrative around Candace was built on her high-profile marriage to NBA player Shelden Williams. They were the "it" couple of basketball. They had a daughter, Lailaa, and seemed like the blueprint for a sports power family. But life is messy and humans are complicated.
The Instagram Post That Changed Everything
In December 2021, Candace basically broke the internet. She posted a series of photos on her wedding anniversary that didn’t just answer the question about her sexuality—it reframed her entire history.
She revealed she had been married to her wife, Anna Petrakova, for two years already.
They’d tied the knot in 2019 in a private ceremony. The post was raw. It featured photos of them at the altar and, even more surprisingly, a shot showing that they were expecting their first child together. It wasn't just a "coming out" post; it was a "this is my life, deal with it" post.
Why the Secrecy?
You’ve gotta understand the context here. Candace has talked about how she used to feel like she shouldn't have to come out. Why do straight people get to just exist while everyone else has to make a formal announcement?
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But she eventually realized that being visible mattered. She saw people struggling with their own identities, people whose families didn't support them. She realized that because she was "financially set" and independent, she had a responsibility to be open. She wanted to show that you can be an elite athlete, a mother, and a queer woman all at once without losing an ounce of your greatness.
Meeting Anna: A "Crazy" Kind of Love
So, how did this even start? Candace and Anna weren't strangers. They were teammates.
They played together for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia. If you follow the WNBA, you know that almost every star plays overseas during the winter to make the real money. Anna is a Russian basketball legend herself—an Olympian who won the EuroLeague.
They were best friends first. Genuinely.
Candace recently sat down on the All the Smoke podcast and got real about it. She told Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson that she had always dated men before. She was "open and honest" about that. But then she met Anna, and things just... shifted. She described it as a "switch" flipping.
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It wasn’t some calculated PR move. It was a person falling in love with their best friend and realizing that the old boxes she tried to fit into just didn't work anymore.
The Timeline of Their Relationship
- 2012: They first meet while playing in Russia.
- 2012-2015: Their friendship grows while competing side-by-side.
- 2016: Candace and Shelden Williams separate.
- 2019: Candace proposes to Anna on a boat in Mexico, surrounded by family—including her daughter Lailaa.
- 2019 (December): They get married in a private ceremony.
- 2021: The public announcement makes their marriage official to the world.
Life as a Modern Family
Today, Candace and Anna are raising three kids. There’s Lailaa, who is now a teenager and has been her mom’s biggest supporter through every transition. Then there are the two boys: Airr Larry, born in 2022, and Hartt Summitt, who joined the crew in 2024.
That name, Hartt Summitt, is a beautiful nod to Candace’s legendary college coach, Pat Summitt. It shows how much legacy and family mean to her.
They seem incredibly happy. You see them on the sidelines, at jersey retirements, and in the "mom life" photos Candace shares. It’s a far cry from the days when female athletes felt they had to hide their partners to keep their endorsements. Candace is still the face of major brands like Adidas. She’s still a lead analyst on TNT. If anything, being her authentic self has made her more marketable because people crave that kind of honesty.
Moving Beyond Labels
If you're looking for a specific label, Candace hasn't spent much time obsessing over them in public. She’s talked about how she "started looking at things differently" after meeting Anna. Whether she identifies as gay, lesbian, or queer, the most important thing to her is the fact that she’s no longer "lying to herself," as Anna once put it in an interview.
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It took them about three years to even admit their feelings to each other. Imagine that. Two world-class athletes, terrified of what a kiss might mean for their lives.
They pushed through that fear.
Insights for the Future
If there’s one thing to take away from Candace Parker’s journey, it’s that it is never too late to redefine who you are. You don't have to stay in the version of yourself that people grew comfortable with ten years ago.
What you can do next: * Watch her documentary: If you want to see the footage of her life and career, check out Candace Parker: Unstoppable. It gives a much more intimate look at her family dynamics than any article ever could.
- Follow her transition to the boardroom: Since retiring in 2024, Candace is moving into team ownership and high-level business. Keep an eye on her moves with Adidas and her goal of owning both NBA and WNBA teams.
- Support LGBTQ+ visibility in sports: Check out organizations like Outsports that track and support queer athletes, helping to ensure that the next "Candace" doesn't have to wait years to share their wedding photos.