July 8, 2025
‘I had to buy out half of the room so my mom could stay with my daughter. I was nursing her before the game and at halftime.’
Legendary basketball player Candace Parker, whose Los Angeles Sparks basketball jersey was recently retired, appeared on a recent podcast to discuss some of the challenges she faced as a young mother while playing in the WNBA after having a child.
Parker, who is scheduled to have another one of her jerseys retired in Chicago on Aug. 25 at Wintrust Arena, sat down with another basketball legend, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller, while talking to former NFL player Keyshawn Johnson. During her appearance on All Facts No Brakes with Keyshawn Johnson, she discussed that, after her daughter was born and she returned to the league, she had to “buy out” half of a hotel room so her mother could be with the newborn as she took the court.
At the time, there was no paid maternity leave, and it was rare for a professional basketball player to need to take time off from the game to deliver a baby.
“It came at the time we were sharing rooms in the WNBA. So I had to buy out half of the room so my mom could stay with my daughter. I was nursing her before the game and at halftime. I was buying my mom’s ticket to the games with us on the commercial flight. That all came with it, I just wanted to be back out there,” Parker told Johnson and Miller.
This took place during the 2009 season when another WNBA legend, Lisa Leslie, was playing her last season.
Although it had to be a struggle being a young mother and playing basketball on the road, she has no regrets. She recalled that having her daughter with her during that time kept her “grounded.”
“I’m super grateful that she was a part of my career because I don’t know what I would have done. She kept me grounded. She kept me humble,” Parker said.
Who knows if the scheduling Gods planned this, but the three teams that Parker played on are participants in her jersey number being raised to the rafters. When the Los Angeles Sparks retired her No. 3 jersey June 29, they played her former team, the Chicago Sky. When the Sky retires her No. 3 next month, the team will be hosting another team she was a part of, the Las Vegas Aces.
She won titles with each team.
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