Cheyenne Parker-Tyus Opens Up About WNBA Return

Just three months ago, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus was in the hospital giving birth to her son.

But Friday night, the Las Vegas Aces forward will be lacing up her sneakers to play in her first WNBA Finals.

Parker-Tyus, a 33-year-old mother of two, has earned the nickname “Superwoman” among her Aces teammates in recent weeks after she made a stunning return to the court just nine weeks after giving birth to her son Yoshua during one of her team’s final regular season games against the Chicago Sky.

“It’s just been really surreal to be able to play basketball again,” Parker-Tyus tells PEOPLE ahead of the WNBA Finals. “I’ve been in a blissful state.”

Parker-Tyus and the Aces host Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Friday night in Las Vegas against the Phoenix Mercury. The Aces, the favorites to win the 2025 WNBA Championship heading into the finals, have been led all season by some of the top players in the league – including guards Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray. Not to mention the reigning, four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, who led the league in points and blocks per game this season.

The Aces won their final 16 games of the regular season, and received another pivotal boost when Parker-Tyus made her late-season return on Sept. 9 – a joyous moment for a team the Aces forward calls the most “special” group she’s ever played alongside.

“I’ve been getting a lot of love from my teammates,” admits Parker-Tyus, who has averaged a manageable seven minutes per game since making her return. “They’re just so happy for me, and it’s been really encouraging.”

At times, the new mom gets bashful about the attention she’s received since returning to the team. Whether it’s one teammate screaming in excitement to see her walk into the gym, or another calling her “Superwoman” for the remarkable physical feat she’s pulled off over the last three months, “I’ve never in my whole career felt so much love,” she says.

“This is a real special group, and I’m just excited to make some history with them – obviously being able to come back from having a baby, but also winning a freaking championship together,” adds the 11-year WNBA veteran.

Parker-Tyus says it’s been “a journey” getting back on the court, noting that she’d get emotional at times watching her team play throughout the regular season while she was at home preparing to welcome Yoshua to the world.

“I was definitely missing it,” the New York City native says about basketball. “Being pregnant and just sitting there watching the team, it fueled me a lot. It motivated me to be so locked in on getting back. Watching them all season was all the motivation I needed.”

Parker-Tyus would still go to the gym and shoot around up until the final weeks of her pregnancy, keeping as much of a basketball routine as possible. “I tried to do as much as I could,” she recalls, noting that her husband Keevin Tyus would help her train at night with their young daughter Naomi by their side and Yoshua still on the way.

Since Yoshua’s birth, Keevin has continued to “hold it down” for the family while Parker-Tyus returned to the WNBA.

“I’m super proud of him just for stepping up,” she says. “We’ve been figuring it all out, navigating everything, and doing a lot of learning and growing together as a family.”

Parker-Tyus says it’s also been “a learning process” for her back at work, navigating new routines while monitoring her own well-being. “I’m not 100% yet,” she says. “I’ve still got to get back to my explosiveness and quickness, but that’ll come. I do need to remind myself sometimes that it’s only been two months, so I try to give myself grace. Like, I did just have a baby, you know?”

In her return against Chicago on Sept. 9, ESPN broadcasters noted that while the team reconvened in the locker room at halftime, Parker-Tyus needed to use the break to pump breastmilk and feed Yoshua. Parker-Tyus says she needs to pump every two hours to relieve discomfort or feed her newborn son.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is I have to just make sure I rehydrate myself really well, because after that first game, my calf was super tight and that let me know, like, ‘Okay, I have to make sure I’m hydrating’ after pumping at halftime or before the game.”

The veteran WNBA star knew there’d be challenges, both physical and mental, pulling off the inspiring return. But it’s all worth it, Parker-Tyus says, explaining that she wanted to return by the end of the 2025 season instead of waiting until next year to both prove to herself and her “doubters” that she could, as well as provide a timeless life lesson for her two young children.

“I just want them to see what resilience and strength and what faith can do,” Parker-Tyus says. “Having faith and really believing in yourself even when no one else does – even when everyone is doubting and doesn’t see the vision – just believing in yourself is enough to keep going. That’s what I want them to see.”

The WNBA Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury tips off Friday night on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET.