Clarendon, openly nonbinary WNBA pioneer, retires

Los Angeles Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon, a leader in the WNBA’s social justice initiatives, the league’s first openly transgender and nonbinary player and a 2017 All-Star, announced their retirement Friday on Instagram.

Clarendon, 33, has not suited up for the Sparks since Aug. 15 vs. the New York Liberty. They averaged 7.6 points, 3.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game during their 12-year WNBA career.

“It just felt right,” Clarendon told ESPN. “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.”

“Layshia has made a huge impact on and off the court throughout their outstanding basketball career,” Sparks coach Curt Miller said in a statement. “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.”

Clarendon, who uses she/her, he/him, and they/them pronouns, was drafted ninth by the Indiana Fever in 2013. She also played for the Atlanta Dream, with whom she was named a 2017 WNBA All-Star, the Connecticut Sun, the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx before finishing her career with the Sparks. She posted a triple-double in the Sparks’ season opener against the Dream in May.

“I’m very proud of my 2017 All-Star,” Clarendon said. “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 bubble season, Clarendon and the Liberty wore “Trans Lives Matter” shirts, but Clarendon hadn’t publicly shared their gender identity. That changed after the season, when Clarendon shared that they were nonbinary and transgender.

A tireless organizer and advocate for justice, Clarendon was elected as the first vice president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association in 2016. She helped negotiate the WNBA’s historic 2020 collective bargaining agreement, which included salary increases, an improvement in travel accommodations and additional support for players who are also parents.

They advocated for LGBTQIA+ inclusive policies across the league as well as for racial justice. It was Clarendon’s idea to dedicate the 2020 season to the “Say Her Name” campaign. When an idea was pitched to put “Black Lives Matter” on the court for the 2020 season, Clarendon drew up the rudimentary plans in Microsoft Paint.

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

Clarendon led the Golden Bears to their first women’s basketball Final Four in 2013. He averaged 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists as a senior.

Clarendon said that whenever he ran out of the tunnel and saw signs from fans who were members of the LGBTQIA+ community, he always felt special. Same with fans who bought his jersey because of what he represented.

“Fans were also a light for me,” Clarendon said. “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.”