Chicago Sky star Candace Parker announced Tuesday on Instagram that her wife, Anna Petrakova, is expecting their child. Parker, 35, also congratulated Petrakova, 37, on their wedding anniversary in the post, which is believed to be the first time she has addressed their marriage on social media.
"2 years ago, I got to marry my best friend in front of our close family and friends. My heart could have exploded," Parker wrote. "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."
Petrakova played basketball for the Russian national team in the 2012 Summer Olympics, and she also competed professionally for UMMC Ekaterinburg when Parker was on that Russian team.
Parker won NCAA titles with Tennessee in 2007 and 2008, and she was the WNBA's top draft pick, Rookie of the Year and MVP in 2008 with the Los Angeles Sparks. With former husband Shelden Williams, she had daughter Lailaa in May 2009.
Parker won her second WNBA MVP award in 2013 and her first WNBA title in 2016. She left Los Angeles in February to sign as a free agent with the Sky in her hometown of Chicago. In October, the Sky beat Phoenix for the franchise's first championship.
"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!" Parker wrote on Instagram. "I can't wait to embark on this next chapter in life with you!"