Sparks’ Layshia Clarendon retires after 12 WNBA seasons

LOS ANGELES — Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon, who was the WNBA’s first openly transgender and nonbinary player as well as an All-Star in 2017, retired Friday after 12 seasons.

Clarendon, who announced her decision on Instagram, had not played since Aug. 15, sitting out the final month of the season for what the team said were mental health reasons. The Sparks missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year with an 8-32 record.

“It’s bittersweet to reach this time in my life and career. Coming home to L.A. and spending my final seasons with the Sparks was deeply meaningful,” said Clarendon, who was born in nearby San Bernardino and played collegiately at Cal. “I wasn’t sure if I would ever make it back to California to play. And I did, which meant the world to me and my family.”

“It just felt right,” Clarendon told ESPN in a separate interview. “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.”

The 33-year-old guard signed with the Sparks in February 2023 after playing for Indiana, Atlanta, Connecticut, New York and Minnesota. Clarendon averaged eight points, 2.5 rebounds and three assists while starting 36 of 45 games for the Sparks.

In May, Clarendon became the second-oldest WNBA player to record a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the team’s season opener against the Atlanta Dream.

Last season, Clarendon scored a career-high 30 points against the New York Liberty and reached the career 2,000-point mark. She finishes with career averages of 7.6 points, 3.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds.

Clarendon led Cal to its first NCAA women’s basketball Final Four in 2013, averaging 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists as a senior while playing for now-USC women’s coach Lindsay Gottlieb. Clarendon was drafted ninth by Indiana in 2013 and earned her one All-Star selection while playing for Atlanta.

Clarendon publicly shared that she was nonbinary and transgender after the 2020 season. She advocated for social and racial justice and LGBTQIA+ policies around the league. Clarendon was elected first vice president of the players association in 2016 and she helped negotiate the WNBA’s 2020 collective bargaining agreement that included higher salaries, improved travel accommodations and more support for players with children.

“Lay was a true professional, showing up each day with a desire to help our team compete and improve,” Sparks coach Curt Miller said. “Simply stated, Lay is a winner. 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.”