WNBA star Candace Parker and wife Anna Petrakova‘s “starting lineup is complete” after the birth of their son, Hartt.
The couple shared the exciting news via a joint Instagram post on Monday, June 10, alongside a carousel of adorable family photos.
“Hartt Summitt Petrakov Parker❤️ May 21, 2024,” they captioned the sweet snaps. “We are so in love and grateful for our little brother. Zone defense is ummm interesting, but we are managing. Goose is ummm adjusting 🤣 but he’s doing better with his role as a vet🤣😂😂😂 (Mama is a rockstar and we love her soooo much) Thank you @aprilbellephotos for always capturing our fam!”
Followers and friends rushed to the comments section to congratulate the duo on their newest addition, and many social media users noticed that Hartt’s middle name, Summitt, was likely a tribute to Parker’s late basketball coach, Pat Summit.
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“Love the name and what a great way to honor Coach!” wrote one Instagram user, while another added, “Summitt got me crying! Congrats!!!”
Parker previously wrote about the impact Summit had on her life in an essay written for Sports Illustrated in 2009.
“I sometimes did not understand her logic, but now that I am out in the real world, I see that there was a method to her madness,” she wrote at the time. “Everything she did was to make me a better individual.”
Parker, 38, and Petrakova, 39, first announced they were expecting in a draft-themed post via Instagram in December last year.
“Parker starting 5 loading! Mama and Mommy are switching from man-2-man to zone defense this spring!” they wrote. “After four years in the game we are focused on building our roster. We know this rookie will add to our depth chart and contribute versatility to our team. The rookie will join our current roster consisting of a shooter, point forward, rebounder, and little Tikes rim attacker!”
Hartt is the twosome’s second baby together. The pair welcomed their son, Airr Larry, in February 2022. Parker is also mom to daughter Lailaa, 14, whom she shares with former NBA player and ex-husband Sheldon Williams. The former spouses were married from 2008 to 2016.
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The Las Vegas Aces star and Petrakova met in 2012 when Parker was playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Petrakova’s home country of Russia during the WNBA offseason. Though their relationship was platonic at first, things took a romantic turn after they shared a kiss for the first time.
“We’re scared, and we’re like, ‘What the hell was that?’” Petrakova told TIME in 2022. “You are kind of scared to look each other in the eye and then you’re like, ‘OK, well, what are we? We’re lying to ourselves here.’ We literally denied it to ourselves for three years I think. Then we just finally accepted it. That was a long, hard process.”
Parker popped the question to Petrakova during a birthday trip in Mexico while surrounded by about 15 close friends and family in 2019. They tied the knot in December that year.
