“I was nursing before the game and at halftime” – Candace Parker talks about the problems of balancing motherhood and WNBA

“I was nursing before the game and at halftime” – Candace Parker talks about the problems of balancing motherhood and WNBA originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Becoming a mother is the biggest change a woman experiences in her life. Most struggle to balance work and motherhood. That’s why support from your employer matters, especially during a period when many women feel at their most vulnerable.

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For years, the WNBA didn’t make that balancing act easy. Maternity leave wasn’t always handled with care, and players stepping away for childbirth were met with outdated rules and limited accommodations.

Just ask three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker. After a rookie season for the ages in 2008, she was forced to navigate not just pregnancy, but the pressure that came with maintaining her status as one of the league’s brightest stars — all while carrying her first child.

“What’s so crazy is I remember when I found out I was pregnant, I immediately shifted to ‘When am I gonna come back?’ Because I was coming off ROTY, MVP,” Parker started about her first pregnancy while playing pro basketball.

“I think about the amount of lights and what’s gonna be her following act, those questions were all around me, and I had my daughter in my belly, and I was like ‘Okay, how am I going to navigate this?’ It was more so, are people gonna continue to question whether I can do this and come back and be the same?” she said.

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How Parker navigated her way

Candice, who gave birth to her daughter Lailaa in May 2009, returned to the court exactly 53 days after giving birth. During that same season with the Sparks, she averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 32.6 minutes in 25 games.

Although her production and numbers may have dropped compared to her rookie season, that was the least of the two-time MVP’s problems since she was confident that she’d eventually find her groove again.

However, Parker had to deal with balancing life as a professional basketball player and a mother. She didn’t regret being a mom (it was frankly quite the opposite), but she acknowledged how hard the WNBA made it for her to prosper in both roles at that time.

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“I was nursing before the game at halftime. I was buying my mom’s ticket to get to the game with us on the commercial flight, so all that came with it, but I just wanted to be back out there and play,” said Parker.

“It was a challenge because the thing I wanted the most in the world, immediately, my reaction was how are people going to react? For the most part, I heard all the whispers that she’d never be the same or how I wouldn’t be able to balance both.”

Related: “Just be careful out here, Paul” – Pierce recalls Kobe cautioning him to keep his guard up in L.A., not knowing he grew up in the neighborhood

Lailaa is Candace’s biggest blessing

While Parker was nursing Lailaa, she had to take matters into her own hands, such as buying her own room every time they were on the road so that she’d have enough space for her and her daughter instead of sharing a room with a teammate.

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The 2016 WNBA Finals MVP also needed her mother to take shifts with her to take care of Lailaa, which fortunately was a smooth sailing experience for them. It also helped that Candace came from a financially stable family and had the ample support she needed outside of the league.

When asked if she regrets giving birth at such a young age, especially just when her Hall of Fame career started, Parker said she doesn’t. Her daughter gave her purpose outside of the basketball court, which was the biggest blessing in her life. It was the first time something mattered to her more than just basketball.

Related: “Bosses push, and leaders pull” – Candace Parker recalled her relationship with Kobe Bryant

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.