RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Aug 15, 2026; Springfield, Mass, USA; Class of 2026 inductee Candace Parker speaks during the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Symphony Hall Springfield. © David Butler II-Imagn Images
Candace Parker was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend as a part of the Class of 2026.
During her HOF speech, she made a joke about coming out as gay. While some celebrated her openness, some voiced their disapproval of making the joke.
Candace Parker Receives Backlash for Making A Joke About Coming Out As Gay
Coming out of the closet to the rest of the world, especially after being involved in heterosexual relationships in the past, can prove to be a challenge.
Parker displayed quite a bit of brevity when she came out as gay in December 2021. She did so in a series of posts on Instagram celebrating her second wedding anniversary with her wife, Anna Petrakova (her former teammate while she played professional ball in Russia), whom she secretly married in 2019.
Fast-forward to present day, and during her Hall of Fame speech, Parker cheekily said , “I changed teams both literally and figuratively,” before pausing to allow the audience to react and erupt in laughter and applause.
This is in reference to her marriage to former NBA player Shelden Williams from 2008 to 2016. They share a daughter together before eventually divorcing after eight years of marriage.
Upon hearing this joke from the WNBA legend, X users took to the platform to clown on her.
One user said, “I couldn’t even imagine Candace tryna hit on a female she seems corny.”
Another person expressed their distaste for Parker very blatantly, saying, “She’s so unlikable.”
“BROOOOO,” said someone else, keeping it simple by following up the word with a series of crying emojis.
Another said, “WTF does she bring this up…WTF!!!”
While the joke may not have landed, it’s not enough of a reason to have a go at her. Her coming out as a lesbian was quite the personal journey for her, and it should be celebrated that she has enough comfort level within her to crack a couple of jokes on this subject.
Candace has very openly spoken about her romantic transitions.
“I had always dated men before and was open and honest about that. And then I think I just… I met my wife, and it was crazy. I started looking at things differently. She was my best friend, genuinely, and then it became more,” she said a few months ago on ‘All the Smoke’.
So, while freedom of speech is certainly applicable here, it’s perhaps best to allow someone who’s had a deeply difficult journey of self-actualization to have a few moments of levity during one of the greatest moments of their career.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
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