.jpg) Clarendon in 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1991-05-02)May 2, 1991 (age 34) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 158 lb (72 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Cajon (San Bernardino, California) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | California (2009–2013) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| WNBA draft | 2013: 1st round, 9th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Indiana Fever | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2013–2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Shooting guard | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Indiana Fever | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Atlanta Dream | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Connecticut Sun | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | New York Liberty | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Minnesota Lynx | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Los Angeles Sparks | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Layshia Renee Clarendon (born May 2, 1991) is an American former professionalbasketball player. Played eleven seasons in theWomen's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Clarendon was the first openlynon-binary WNBA player, and the first active WNBA player to havetop surgery.[1]
Before starting college, Clarendon went to high school atCajon High School.[2][3] Clarendon completed their college career at theUniversity of California, Berkeley in 2013.[4] The 2012–2013 season saw them become a leader of the team and received national recognition for their abilities, culminating in their place as a finalist for the Senior Class Award.[5][6]
According to Clarendon's coachLindsay Gottlieb, "[Clarendon was] vocal in terms of helping us achieve those goals and being a leader off the court and talking to her teammates, but you're never necessarily going to notice that on the court."[7]
For the 2012–2013 regular season, the Clarendon-led Bears lived up to expectations, compiling a 28–2 record (excluding the Pac-12 Tournament) and earning a 2nd seed in theNCAA tournament.[8] Clarendon and the Bears also enjoyed post season success, resulting in the team's first Final Four appearance.[9][10] The Bears lost in the national semifinals toLouisville.[11]
Clarendon was named to theUSA Women's U19 team which represented the US in the 2009 U19 World's Championship, held inBangkok, Thailand in July and August 2009.[12] Clarendon scored 4.5 points per game, and helped the USA team to an 8–1 record and the gold medal.[13]
Clarendon was named to thesenior team roster for the2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup and helped the team to a 6–0 record and the gold medal.[14]
Clarendon was selected ninth overall in the2013 WNBA draft by theIndiana Fever.[15] During Clarendon's rookie year, they played in 30 games and averaged just under 20 minutes per game. Clarendon played three years for the Fever helping make the playoffs in every year that they were part of the team. They reached theWNBA Finals in their last season with the Fever, falling just short of a title.
On May 2, 2016, the Fever traded Clarendon to theAtlanta Dream for a 2nd round pick in the2017 WNBA draft.[16]
Clarendon immediately became the Dream's starting point guard in their first season, starting 32 out of 34 games. In her first start for the Dream, Clarendon set a new career-high with 19 points and grabbed six rebounds in 31 minutes against their former team, the Indiana Fever. She also had a career-high with 19 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists in the Dream's win over the Connecticut Sun.[17]
On February 1, 2017 Clarendon re-signed with the Dream – bringing them back to Atlanta for the 2017 season.[18] Clarendon again had a fantastic season, making their onlyAll-Star game. At the All-Star game, Clarendon recorded 14 points and 10 assists.[19] Clarendon also registered a "unofficial" triple double during the year when they recorded 15 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in Atlanta's overtime win overPhoenix. The league reviewed the stats and ultimately took away 2 assists, erasing Clarendon's triple double.[20]
During the 2018 season, Clarendon played 18 games with the Dream before being traded.[21]
On July 9, 2018, the Dream traded Clarendon and a2019 second round draft pick to theConnecticut Sun forAlex Bentley. Clarendon played in 15 regular season games and one playoff game for the Sun. They averaged 5.4 points per game and 2.7 assists. They scored a season-high 14 points in the Sun's victory over the Lynx on August 17.[22]
Clarendon was hoping to be a key reserve for the Sun going into the 2019 season, but their season got derailed after sustaining an ankle injury that required surgery. After surgery, Clarendon was expected to be out for three-to-four months.[23] The Sun had a very successful season making it all the way to the WNBA Finals, and Clarendon was hoping to make it back in time to play, but ultimately wasn't ready and healthy to play.[24]
Clarendon signed with theNew York Liberty on February 10.[25] CoachWalt Hopkins stated that Clarendon "is an elite facilitator and floor general with an extremely high basketball IQ... 'not only leads vocally, but also by consistently modeling a tireless work ethic and respect for those around her. She is going to be a massive boon to our roster and our team culture – both on, and off of the court.'"[26] Clarendon was expected to be a mentor to incomingfirst overall draft pickSabrina Ionescu. When Ionescu went down with an ankle injury, Clarendon's role increased. They started for the Liberty and averaged career-highs in field goal percentage with 46.5 percent and points with 11.5 per game. They also averaged 2.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest.[27]
Clarendon made the 2021 Liberty roster, but only played three minutes in the opening night game vs theIndiana Fever. After failing to appear in the next two games for the Liberty, Clarendon was waived.[28]
Clarendon signed a hardship contract with the Lynx on May 31, 2021, due to the Lynx falling under the roster number due to multiple injuries. Clarendon played that night for the Lynx and sparked a run to help the Lynx get their first win of the season. Clarendon finished with 12 points.[29] Due to how hardship contracts work, Clarendon had to be released multiple times once the injured players became healthy. Unfortunately for the Lynx, they continued to have injuries to many players, which benefited Clarendon, who continued to be signed by the Lynx. On July 2, Clarendon was able to sign with the Lynx on a Rest of the Season deal.[30] Clarendon had a strong season for the Lynx, but struggled as the year ended with a right fibula injury.[31] They finished the season averaging 10.4 points, 5.7 assists, and 3.1 rebounds.
During the 2022 offseason, Clarendon re-signed with Minnesota.[32] On May 3, 2022, after going through all of training camp with the Lynx, Clarendon was waived and did not make the final roster.[33] Clarendon did not play in the 2022 season.[34]
On February 7, 2023, Clarendon signed a training camp contract with theLos Angeles Sparks.[35] They made the roster and started in 24 games for the team. On September 7, 2023, Clarendon recorded a career-high 30 points in an 96–89 loss to the Liberty.[36][37]
On February 1, 2024, Clarendon re-signed with the Sparks for the2024 WNBA season.[38] In the first game of the season on May 15, Clarendon recorded their first careertriple-double, posting 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in an 92–81 loss to Atlanta. They became only the fourth player in Sparks history, afterLisa Leslie,Candace Parker, andChelsea Gray, to achieve this feat.[39] Clarendon appeared in 21 games during the season, playing in only one game following the Olympic break, due to mental health reasons. Clarendon retired from the WNBA on September 20, 2024 after 11 seasons.[40][41][42]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
Stats current through end of 2024 season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Indiana | 30 | 4 | 19.4 | .331 | .259 | .409 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 4.2 |
| 2014 | Indiana | 29 | 3 | 13.7 | .402 | .316 | .708 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 4.2 |
| 2015 | Indiana | 29 | 12 | 20.8 | .445 | .406 | .765 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 6.7 |
| 2016 | Atlanta | 34 | 32 | 28.2 | .466 | .346 | .765 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 10.4 |
| 2017 | Atlanta | 34 | 33 | 29.8 | .378 | .180 | .879 | 3.8 | 6.6 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 2.6 | 10.7 |
| 2018 | Atlanta | 18 | 4 | 17.3 | .329 | .143 | .800 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 4.3 |
| Connecticut | 15 | 0 | 15.9 | .492 | .000 | .826 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 5.4 | |
| 2019 | Connecticut | 9 | 0 | 15.3 | .419 | 1.000 | .857 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 6.2 |
| 2020 | New York | 19 | 19 | 26.1 | .465 | .341 | .873 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 3.4 | 11.5 |
| 2021 | New York | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Minnesota | 21 | 20 | 25.7 | .517 | .357 | .784 | 3.1 | 5.7 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 10.4 | |
| 2022 | Did not play (waived) | ||||||||||||
| 2023 | Los Angeles | 24 | 24 | 28.6 | .497 | .457 | .915 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 11.1 |
| 2024 | Los Angeles | 21 | 12 | 16.0 | .427 | .350 | .870 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 4.3 |
| Career | 11 years, 6 teams | 284 | 163 | 22.2 | .432 | .318 | .810 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 7.6 |
| All-Star | 1 | 0 | 17.7 | .600 | .500 | — | 2.0 | 10.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 14.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Indiana | 4 | 0 | 15.3 | .476 | .600 | .250 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 6.0 |
| 2014 | Indiana | 5 | 0 | 7.4 | .231 | .000 | — | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| 2015 | Indiana | 9 | 0 | 6.1 | .500 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.3 |
| 2016 | Atlanta | 2 | 2 | 32.0 | .533 | .250 | .625 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 11.0 |
| 2018 | Connecticut | 1 | 0 | 10.0 | .500 | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| 2021 | Minnesota | 1 | 1 | 12.0 | .000 | .000 | — | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Career | 6 years, 4 teams | 22 | 3 | 10.9 | .435 | .333 | .571 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 3.0 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | California | 37 | 28 | 24.9 | .362 | .262 | .787 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 2.5 | 8.9 |
| 2010–11 | California | 34 | 34 | 33.5 | .400 | .337 | .696 | 5.4 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 3.2 | 13.2 |
| 2011–12 | California | 35 | 35 | 33.8 | .413 | .327 | .698 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 12.8 |
| 2012–13 | California | 36 | 36 | 35.5 | .452 | .325 | .665 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 16.4 |
| Career | 142 | 133 | 31.8 | .410 | .313 | .697 | 4.4 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 12.8 | |
In 2015, Clarendon won Outsports' "Female Hero of the Year", for using their platform in support ofLGBTQ+ people in sports.[45] Clarendon stated that they wish to "open closet doors for women across sports".[45]
In 2017, Clarendon discussed the issues within the WNBA in regards to the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people.[46] Clarendon stated that during their early career playing for the Indiana Fever, the team was attempting to include LGBTQ+ individuals by participating in a "Diversity Night" during Pride month, which Clarendon felt was confusingly named, as a way to avoid the true purpose of Pride month.[46] As Clarendon began playing for other teams, they stated that they saw the league becoming more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community.[46]
In 2020, the WNBA and the Players Association branded the upcoming season "Social Justice Season", to emphasize issues including race, gun violence, LGBTQ+ advocacy. Clarendon was named as one of the players on the league'sSocial Justice Council, which was tasked with engaging community conversations, advocacy, and education on topics surrounding social justice.[47]
The beginning of the 2020 season saw Clarendon involved in protest around theshooting of Breonna Taylor and the"Say her Name" campaign which had begun in 2014.Black Lives Matter was also a predominant message and was visible on the courts during the season.[48]
The Commissioner of the WNBA,Cathy Engelbert, has shown her support for Clarendon by saying, "We are so proud that Layshia is part of the WNBA and we know that their voice and continued advocacy will not only support and help honor and uplift many other non-binary and trans people."[49] The New York Liberty and the WNBA players' union have also shown their support for the transition. The owner of the New York Liberty team,Joseph Tsai released a statement supporting Clarendon saying that they are "a proud embodiment of our belief that our strength lies in our truth and no one should live constrained by societal boundaries."[50]
In 2017, Clarendon married Jessica Dolan.[51] Clarendon and Dolan announced the birth of "#babyC" on December 25, 2020, and have not released the name or assigned sex at birth of the baby.[52] Clarendon later stated they were raising "Baby C" withgender expansiveness.[53]
Circa 2020, Clarendon came out as non-binary.[54] Clarendon usesshe/her,they/them andhe/him pronouns.[55][56] In 2015, Clarendon identified as "black, gay, female, non-cisgender andChristian".[57]
In 2021, Clarendon underwentchest masculinization surgery to remove breast tissue.[58][53]
· Basketball Reference 
