Candace Parker is pregnant, Sparks confirm

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Candace Parker, the WNBA’s most valuable player last season, is indeed pregnant. The Sparks confirmed the news this morning, but the team’s release and statements from team officials don’t indicate when she is due.

From the news release: ‘Shelden and I are very excited to be expanding our family,’ said Parker, referring to her husband Shelden Williams of the Sacramento Kings. ‘We feel blessed and look forward to becoming parents.’

But unless she delivers in the next month or two, it will be tough coming back right away.

The Sparks have been through this before, with a star player becoming pregnant and believing she would play that season. That was Lisa Leslie two years ago. But Lisa ended up have a C-section in early June and never did make it back that season (the Sparks’ worst, it turned out). But it seemed that Lisa never looked happier once she became a mom.

Last year, Leslie was back, but she was surrounded by so many new faces and struggled for a bit. It was not the greatest season for the 36-year-old center. Age could be a factor, of course, in Parker’s favor. Parker, who took over the Sparks spotlight last year in what was also her rookie-of-the-year season, is 22.

Stay tuned to latimes.com/sports for more coverage on this later today.

-- Debbie Goffa