Layshia Clarendon, WNBA’s first nonbinary player, announces retirement

Layshia Clarendon, a prominent figure in the WNBA’s social justice movements and the first openly transgender and nonbinary player in the league, announced her retirement via Instagram on Friday. At 33 years old, Clarendon leaves a remarkable legacy after a 12-year playing career, most recently with the Los Angeles Sparks.

Since playing against the New York Liberty on August 15, Clarendon has not taken to the court. Over her career, she averaged 7.6 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game.

In a statement to ESPN, Clarendon reflected on her decision: “It just felt right. I’ve done a lot of healing in my life the last five years. It was just the culmination of my mind, my body, and my spirit telling me that it was time to move on. I just had a deep knowing in my intuition that now is the right time, and I had a really open heart and readiness to let go.”

Sparks coach Curt Miller acknowledged Clarendon’s significant impact both on and off the court, stating, “Layshia has made a huge impact throughout their outstanding basketball career. Lay was a true professional, showing up each day with a desire to help our teams compete and improve. Off the court, Lay is a trailblazer who has impacted so many with their bravery to be authentic and unapologetic while consistently fighting for the marginalized.”

Clarendon, who identifies with she/her, he/him, and they/them pronouns, was drafted ninth overall by the Indiana Fever in 2013. She also played for the Atlanta Dream, where she earned the title of a WNBA All-Star in 2017. Over her career, she contributed her skills to teams like the Connecticut Sun, New York Liberty, and Minnesota Lynx, ending her journey with the Sparks, where she began her 2023 season with a triple-double against the Dream.

Proud of her achievements, Clarendon said, “I’m very proud of my 2017 All-Star. I wanted to be an All-Star in this league and I proved that to myself. I’m also really proud of the relationships I built with people and the integrity with which I moved in the sport.”

During the 2020 season in the WNBA bubble, Clarendon and her teammates wore “Trans Lives Matter” shirts, a courageous act at a time when she had not yet publicly shared her gender identity. This moment, however, became a part of her path to openly identifying as nonbinary and transgender later that year.

Clarendon is known for her relentless advocacy for social justice and equality. In 2016, she was elected the first vice president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association. She played a crucial role in negotiating the WNBA’s groundbreaking 2020 collective bargaining agreement, which provided salary increases, improved travel accommodations, and additional support for parent-players.

Her commitment extended beyond basketball; she championed LGBTQIA+ inclusive policies throughout the league and worked tirelessly for racial equity. Clarendon conceptualized the dedication of the 2020 season to the “Say Her Name” campaign and was instrumental in the initiative to emblazon “Black Lives Matter” on the court, even sketching initial designs in Microsoft Paint.

Lindsay Gottlieb, coach at USC who once coached Clarendon at Cal, emphasized the importance of her contributions, stating, “The way the W looks and feels right now is largely a testament to the people who have been doing the work. And there’s no one more important in that realm than Layshia.”

Clarendon was pivotal in leading the California Golden Bears to their first women’s basketball Final Four in 2013, showcasing her talents as she averaged 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists during her senior year.

Expressions of love and support from fans within the LGBTQIA+ community always resonated deeply with Clarendon. She remarked on how meaningful it was to see supportive signs during games and how special it felt when fans wore her jersey, symbolizing her role as a representative. “Fans were also a light for me,” she stated. “So much of this healing work is reciprocal. As much as I was the one to step out on a limb, I felt really caught and held by the queer fan base in the W. That was really beautiful, so thank you.”