LOS ANGELES – Retired WNBA star and analyst Candace Parker and her wife Anna Petrakova announced the birth of their son on social media Monday. The pair named him in honor of Pat Summitt, Parker’s former coach at the University of Tennessee.
“Hartt Summitt Petrakov Parker ❤️May 21, 2024 Our Starting lineup is complete.”
The pair first announced the pregnancy in December 2023. Hartt is the pair’s second child together, born on May 21, according to the post. The couple’s first son Airr was born in February 2022.
In addition to the two boys, Parker has a daughter named Lailaa from her previous marriage.
Parker has consistently praised her time with Summitt, crediting her coaching for not only her basketball achievements and success but also for her personal growth.
Under Coach Summitt, Parker secured back-to-back NCAA championships in 2007 and 2008. During her tenure at Tennessee, she earned the title of SEC Rookie of the Year, was named three times to the All-SEC team, and received the prestigious Naismith Award.
The announcement comes shortly after the former Las Vegas Aces star and three-time WNBA champion announced her retirement on April 28 with an Instagram post that racked up over 150,000 likes.
“I promised l’d never cheat the game & that l’d leave it in a better place than I came into it,” Parker said in the post. “The competitor in me always wants 1 more, but it’s time. My HEART & body knew, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it. I always wanted to walk off the court with no parade or tour, just privately with the ones I love.”
In the announcement, Parker also expressed her desire to spend more time with her family, which she described as her number one priority, and emphasized her love for being a wife and mother.
She rounded off her announcement off with a quote from the late Pat Summitt.
“My mission in life, like Pat Summitt always said, is to ‘chase people and passions and you will never fail.”
