Candace Parker and Bruce Pearl (Photo via Twitter)

Candace Parker was on call for a game this week, unaware that her past dating history would be shared with millions of people watching the basketball game.

Earlier this year, TNT Sports announced that it was hiring former Auburn coach Bruce Pearl as a studio analyst. He was also joining CBS Sports as a game and studio analyst and will work in-studio on CBS/TNT Sports coverage of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

It was previously announced that Candace Parker, who criticized networks for burying women’s sports, would also serve as a game analyst on the TNT college basketball slate. The two came together on Monday night.

Bruce Pearl Reveals He Once Pleaded with Candace Parker to Stay Away from Vols Men’s Players

Candace Parker (Image Credit: Getty Images)
Former Tennessee Volunteers men’s coach Bruce Pearl had viewers in complete shock when he brought up WNBA legend Candace Parker’s dating life on national TV.

Parker had a tremendous career both as a student-athlete and a WNBA professional. As for her personal life, fans are already aware that she was once married to former NBA player Shelden Williams, who played for Duke University. They married in 2008 and divorced in 2016. They had one child together.

She got married for the second time in 2019 to former basketball player Anna Petrakova.

Bruce Pearl decided he would reveal some other people Parker has previously dealt with.

Bruce Pearl aired out some dirty laundry from Candace Parker’s past at Tennessee during Monday’s TNT broadcast of the Vols’ game against Rutgers.

“Some stories we can talk about and some stories we can’t talk about, but Candace was a beautiful student athlete at Tennessee,” Pearl said.

“She was dating one of my guys, and she was talking to two of the others at the same time. …Candace, you remember there were a couple of times I would come to you and say, ‘Honey, don’t break up with him tonight.’ Right? You remember that. I literally did, and she would be like, ‘OK.’ We had that relationship. Candace was mature beyond her years.”

For her part, Parker laughed as she also recalled the close relationship she had with Pearl during her time in Tennessee, but she did seem to wish he hadn’t disclosed that.

“I was in your office and talking to you, and I think that’s the thing that I love about the University of Tennessee, is the relationships,” she said. “And, you know, the stuff that will stay in 2004 to 2008.”

Parker ended her Vols career averaging 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game.