[Cover on newspaper stands on March 13,2009]

I’m proud of my child, excited about my child and I’m excited about the opportunity to have a child and be an athlete,” said Parker, 22, on Wednesday.

The  WNBA player is the first pregnant female athlete to cover ESPN magazine. Gary Belsky, editor in chief of the magazine reveals, “We don’t do a lot of female athletes on the cover. Candace has made it more interesting. She’s got Adidas, McDonald’s and Gatorade as sponsors; that’s a pretty strong big three. But it’s still tough to put a woman on the cover for us.”

It’s especially tough since the target audience of ESPN magazine is for the 18- to 34-year-old male

For the cover shoot, Candace was put  in a white dress to make the photo more “dramatic” and to make her look  “radiant and athletic.” The result was a very athletic, pregnant looking Candace.

So how is the mom-to-be doing? “I’m great.  I’m working out three or four times a week. The hard part about being an athlete is learning that when you feel tired you can’t push yourself,” said Candace.

 Candace and  husband Shelden Williams, a forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves, are expecting their baby in early May.

Michael Muller pictures, Source