Eva Longoria, Tony Parker Split Shocks Fellow Basketball Wives

Nov. 19, 2010 — -- It's hard out there for a basketball wife.

For Jennifer Williams, Eva Longoria's split from Tony Parker serves as a sobering reminder that cheating can crush even the most seemingly rock-solid of marriages.

"I was surprised," Williams told ABCNews.com. Her husband, Eric Williams, used to play with Parker on the San Antonio Spurs. Both now appear on the VH1 reality TV series, "Basketball Wives," whose second season premieres Dec. 12.

"I never knew them to have any problems, so it was definitely shocking to me," Williams said. "They just seemed like the perfect happy couple."

Williams often chatted with Longoria at Spurs games.

"She made sure to come to a lot of games considering she was filming her show," Williams said. "When you're on a team with the other wives, everyone is somewhat cordial. we go to the games together. From what I know, she's definitely down to earth and she's a sweet girl."

Williams also knows the woman with whom Parker reportedly cheated on Longoria -- Erin Barry, the wife of Spurs player Brent Barry.

"I do know her, I don't know a lot about her," she said. "I was shocked to hear that because that's just not something that you expect from another wife. We have this sisterhood, so to speak, and that's something you would expect from someone outside that doesn't really understand what we go through, being married to these guys."

It's not easy, Williams said, to be wed to a famous athlete who spends much of his life on the road, in front of adoring fans. She and her husband have been married for three years, and she said he's cheated on her before.

"It's something that you can't control," she said. "Women are definitely going to be around and they somewhat throw themselves at the players and you just have to hope that you have a strong enough foundation to stand it. But a lot of these players, they definitely fall victim to these women."

She's learned that she can only control her own behavior, not her husband's, and hopes that Longoria and Parker find a similar balance, together or apart.

"I just wish her and Tony the best," she said. "I hope that if they are committed to working through it, I hope that works. If not, I hope that they have an amazing future whether it's together or not."

Eva Longoria, Tony Parker Split

Speculation has swirled about Parker and Longoria since she filed for divorce on Wednesday, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple wed in a lavish Parisian ceremony in 2007 and often gushed about each other in interviews.

But late Wednesday, Sports Illustrated reporter Bryan Armen Graham outed the potential other woman in Parker's life.

"Have it on good authority from entertainment sources that 'former teammate' in Tony Parker-Eva Longoria affair is Brent Barry," Graham wrote on Twitter. In another tweet, he added, "Source did mention Barry and wife are going through a divorce."

Graham also tweeted, "Longoria said she found text messages from wife of a former teammate on Parker's phone. Source says former teammate was Barry."

Billy Bush of "Access Hollywood" reached out to Erin Barry for comment.

"We spoke to erin barry," he tweeted on Wednesday. "she cried and said "No comment ... TP [presumably, Tony Parker] was texting her."

On Thursday, Brent Barry's father, Rick Barry, told ABCNews.com that he "feels badly for his son." He declined further comment on Brent and Erin Barry's relationship with Parker and Longoria.

Longoria herself broke her silence on Twitter Wednesday. "It is with great sadness that after 7 years together, Tony and I have decided to divorce. We love each other deeply and pray for each other's happiness," she tweeted.

Parker said his piece on Thursday.

"Eva and I have been discussing our situation privately," he said in a statement. "I was aware that she would be filing for divorce in Los Angeles. ... We plan to continue to keep our discussions of this matter private."

This is the second divorce for Longoria, 35. In 2004, she divorced her first husband, Tyler Christopher, after two years of marriage.