Candace Parker, who had her Chicago Sky jersey retired on Monday, revealed her son Airr had no idea she played in the WNBA.

Chicago Sky franchise legend and WNBA Champion Candace Parker speaks during her jersey retainment ceremony during a WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces at Wintrust Arena.
Candace Parker’s son is getting a WNBA history lesson. The Chicago Sky legend is making sure of it.

Speaking to the media ahead of her jersey retirement for the Sky, she revealed that Airr was unaware that his mom played in the WNBA, even though the family watches the league all the time.

“We watch WNBA all the time. It’s on television constantly,” Parker said. “My son was so surprised when he found out I played in the WNBA. My wife was pregnant with him when we won the championship here in Chicago.”

Airr is only three, so he can be forgiven for not having an encyclopedic knowledge of the league. But Parker is here to make sure that changes.

“So the last week or so we’ve been watching YouTube,” the three-time WNBA champion continued. “I’m like, ‘oh no, you’re gonna know Mommy played.’ And so we’ve been watching YouTube and now he knows Chicago Sky, he knows Los Angeles Sparks, he knows Las Vegas Aces. His Godmom is Chelsea [Gray] so he knows basketball a little bit.”

Parker is a mother of three, also sharing 16-year-old daughter Lailaa with former Duke men’s basketball star Shelden Williams. Her current wife, Anna Petrakova, also had son Hartt in May 2024.

She did not say whether Hartt’s WNBA education has started yet as well, but when it does, the whole family will know her accolades. In addition to being a three-time champion, she was the 2016 WNBA Finals MVP, a two-time WNBA MVP, seven-time All-Star, two-time National Champion at Tennessee, and the Sparks have also retired her jersey.

For Parker, her jersey retirement was a family affair — one that includes her wife and kids, but also the Chicago community.

“To my family, to my coaches, to my trainers, doctors, teachers, mentors, opponents, teammates, the entire Sky organization. All the supporters through the years are going up in the rafters. All of the love that this city brings is going up into the rafters,” Parker said. “To my wife and my kids, my reason, my happy, my present, my heart, to bring you back home and see the city through your eyes, it’s just unbelievable.”