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Who Is Candace Parker’s Ex-Husband and NBA Star Sheldon Williams?

Published 09/15/2023, 11:10 AM EDT

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Candace Parker is one of the most recognizable faces in the WNBA today, the 37-year-old enters her 15th year in the league this season and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. Widely regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, Parker was always destined for greatness. The power forward is a 2x NCAA champion and was taken as the first overall pick during the 2008 WNBA draft. While she had high expectations coming into the league Candance surprised everyone during her rookie season as she managed to win the MVP and the ROTY award with the Los Angeles Sparks. Now having won two titles with different teams, the 7x WNBA All-Star has amassed a wealth of knowledge and continues to pass that on to the younger generations.

Recently praising LSU’s Angel Reese before getting real about “women’s basketball”, Parker serves as an ambassador for the sport and her influence continues to be a guiding light in WNBA dressing rooms. This statement rings true in the Chicago Sky’s 2021 title win where the veteran led the team to their first championship after joining them that very season. Despite her many successes on the court Candance couldn’t replicate the same off it as she struggled with her marriage to NBA star Sheldon Williams. While Candace has remarried since one cannot help but ask the question – Who is Candace Parker’s ex-husband?

Who is Candace Parker’s ex-husband?

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Having first made his name while playing for Duke University, Shelden Williams was a staple in the NBA between the years 2006-2012. Drafted by the Atlanta Hawks as the 5th overall pick Williams never reached the heights that were expected of him during his collegiate days. The 6’9 forward had a bright start to his life in the NBA as he played 81 games during his rookie season. This all quickly changed in the following years as Shelden never played more than 60 games a season while he crossed the 40-game threshold just twice.

With play time limited, Williams was unable to sign with an NBA side during the 2013 season and decided to take his talent overseas after 7 seasons in the NBA. Signing a one-year contract with the French champions Elan Chalon, the former Nets man wasn’t able to do much in the EuroLeague either as he then moved to China the following year. After spending a year in Asia, Shelden then decided to retire from playing basketball completely as he turned his sights to coaching the sport.

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While he did coach for a few years, the 2× First-Team All-ACC candidate had his best years while playing for the Blue Devils. Suiting up for the North Carolina outfit from 2002-2006, Shelden was an endeared personality in Duke and had his No. 23 jersey retired in 2007. This was mostly in part to his contributions to the team as he holds multiple records for Duke including most career blocks, single season blocks and most career rebounds. During his time there Williams was a feared opponent and was even named USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year in 2005.

A defensive juggernaut, ‘the landlord’ won 2 NABC Defensive Player of the Year awards becoming only the fifth player in history to earn the award two consecutive years. Despite all his accomplishments Shelden failed to bring any major titles to Duke as the power forward had only individual trophies to show for his impressive collegiate career.

Although Williams never won a major title, he was always a brilliant individual player. The Oklahoma native was a star during his high school days with his talent even being recognized by ESPN who ranked him 49th in the country in his senior season.

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Despite facing many setbacks in his personal and personal life Shelden Williams seems to be a man of grit and determination. As of 2019, Williams had started the Shelden Williams Foundation which is a program to empower student athletes and their families by delivering and supporting initiatives that promote emotional and physical health. This initiative is a great one from Williams’ end as an experienced soul like him could do a lot to help you sporting aspirants.

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While his failed marriage with Candace Parker will always remain as a part of his history the couple don’t seem to have any bad blood with one another now. The two currently share joint custody of their daughter with neither paying child support to the other. The couple also shared the profits of their $3.56 million mansion which they sold after their divorce giving their story a bittersweet ending.

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Written by:

Arian Kashyap

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Arian Kashyap is an NBA Writer at EssentiallySports. He has college degrees in Physical Education and Sport Sciences and has been writing since 2019. He actively follows the NBA, and though he is a Miami Heat fan, Arian likes to provide all NBA lovers with captivating content that also helps educate his readers.
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Edited by:

Aayush Kapoor