Layshia Clarendon, the first openly transgender and nonbinary player in the WNBA, has retired. The 33-year-old Los Angeles Sparks guard announced their retirement in a post on Instagram.
“The lesson I’ve been learning this last year is that everything comes to an end. The time has come for my basketball career to end. I am deeply at peace with this choice as my mind, body, and spirit know unequivocally that it’s time to move on,” Clarendon, who uses she/her, he/him, and they/them pronouns, wrote. “The saying is that athletes have 2 deaths. Our careers and our true last breaths. I can tell you, I have been deeply in mourning over this loss. I’ve loved this game with every ounce of my being.”
Why is Layshia Clarendon retiring from the WNBA?
In an interview with ESPN, Clarendon said the time to retire “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,” Clarendon told ESPN. “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.”
Clarendon was drafted ninth by the Indiana Fever in 2013 after leading the California Golden Bears to the school’s first women’s basketball Final Four. They also played with the Atlanta Dream, the Connecticut Sun, the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx during their WNBA career. Clarendon made the All-Star team in 2017 while playing for the Dream. One of their career highlights happened earlier this year when their put up a triple double in the Sparks first game of the season as they faced the Dream.
Layshia Clarendon is known for their work both on and off the court
The LGBTQIA+ advocate is also praised for their work off the court. Clarendon was among the players who wore “Trans Lives Matter” shirts as the league played in the bubble during the pandemic in 2020.
As the first vice president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, Clarendon advocated for salary increases, improved travel accommodations and support for players who have children.
“Layshia has made a huge impact on and off the court throughout their outstanding basketball career,” Sparks coach Curt Miller said in a statement, per ESPN. “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 and impacted so many with their bravery to be authentic and unapologetic while consistently fighting for the marginalized.”
She also helped lead the charge for BLM recognition within the league
As an advocate for racial equality, Clarendon led the league’s effort to put “Black Lives Matter” on the WNBA courts. Clarendon drew the plans in Microsoft Paint as the league sought to find a design for the court.
Clarendon has been relying on their wife for support as the injuries mounted in recent years.
“On January 13th at 10am I hugged my wife in front of my surgery building, walked in and took a deep breath… The day was finally here. The day I got to have Top Surgery!!!!!” Clarendon wrote in 2021, per Out.
The WNBA guard once again praised their wife during their retirement announcement.
“Thank you to my wife. Without you, I wouldn’t have made it this long,” Clarendon wrote.
