Aces Post Player Cheyenne Parker-Tyus Poised for Imminent Return Following Childbirth
LAS VEGAS – Las Vegas Aces post player Cheyenne Parker-Tyus is on track to return to the court this weekend, possibly as early as Sunday’s game against the Chicago Sky, just over four months after giving birth to her daughter in April. The 33-year-old is targeting at least the final two games of the regular season, with her availability assessed on a week-by-week basis.
Parker-Tyus credits her Cesarean section in 2021 with aiding her recovery, allowing her to begin training at four weeks postpartum, a step ahead of the typical six-week recovery period. “Most of the time you have to wait six weeks to start training, but I started at four weeks, so I think that kind of gave me a little bit of an edge,” she said. ”I was able to start a little sooner to just do the little things like getting back to my core.”
The Aces, currently riding a 12-game winning streak and holding second place in the WNBA standings, are looking to regain the championship form they displayed in back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023, after falling to New York in the semifinals last season.parker-Tyus admitted to initial concerns about whether the aces would pursue her this year, especially given her pregnancy. She openly discussed her condition during a winter Zoom call with coach Becky Hammon and team president Nikki Fargas while playing in China.
The situation was particularly sensitive given the ongoing lawsuit filed by former Aces player dearica Hamby,who alleges mistreatment related to her pregnancy. Parker-Tyus leaned on Hamby as a sounding board, but acknowledged each case is unique.
“I was sweating bullets,” Parker-Tyus recalled. “I’ve played in this league for a long time and knew I just had to be honest and up front and they appreciated that. I just was so scared and nervous that they would just go ‘we’ll reach out next year or something.'”
Hammon and Fargas quickly alleviated her fears.”I know she was nervous as she broke down in tears. We were all crying. It was actually a pretty cool moment. At the end of the day, bringing a baby into the world that’s amazing,” Hammon said. “We just said, ‘we’ll wait for you.’ We look at her as a long term piece. It wasn’t just for this year. Like,we want we want to build that relationship with her,and give her an habitat that she can really flourish in.”
Hammon emphasized parker-Tyus’ potential contribution to the team. “My job ultimately is to always do what’s best for the Aces and try to put the Aces in the best position to win,” Hammon said. ”If we can get her in there and integrate that, that’s going to be great.” Parker-Tyus was a WNBA All-Star in 2023.
