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The Las Vegas Aces' recent free-agent signee, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, has announced that she's pregnant with her second child. She expects to miss at least the first three months of the 2025 WNBA campaign but is “determined to return late in the season.”
The Aces signed Parker-Tyus to a one-year nonguaranteed training camp contract in February.
Parker-Tyus spent the 2024-25 WNBA offseason playing overseas while pregnant with the Beijing Great Wall in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association.
The 10-year WNBA veteran detailed how the timing of her pregnancy made the uncertainty of free agency even more nerve-wracking.
“The signing period was just super, super stressful. At the end of the day, teams don't have to sign you as a free agent,” Parker-Tyus began. “But early on in the conversation that I had with (Aces president Nikki Fargas) and (coach Becky Hammon), I was very honest and upfront.”
The Aces' front office has already connected the 32-year-old mother with doctors and the strength and conditioning staff she'll need to ensure she's healthy and prepared when she's ready to return to playing shape.
“It was a hard conversation to have, but it was so fulfilling because their response and reaction was just so surprising,” Parker-Tyus added. “I had a serious feeling of relief when they were really understanding and figured out how to get it done.”
Parker-Tyus said she was at first scared to disclose her pregnancy to the franchise, but she's since expressed nothing but gratitude for the Aces' “investment” in her.
“They've shown that they genuinely care, and they want me there for the long run,” she concluded. “(The Aces) have gone above and beyond to show their support.”
Parker-Tyus played just 13 games during the 2021 season, her first with the Atlanta Dream, before giving birth to her first child, Naomi Sernina Tyus. The former top-five draft pick returned to Atlanta in 2022 and was later named an All-Star with the team in 2023.
