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topicnews · September 20, 2024

Layshia Clarendon, the WNBA’s first non-binary player, announces her retirement

Layshia Clarendon, the WNBA’s first non-binary player, announces her retirement

Making history NBA player Layshia Clarendon hangs up her sneakers.

The guard, who last played for the Los Angeles Sparks and uses the pronouns he/she/they, made history in 2015 when she came out as “non-cisgender,” and is considered the first openly trans and non-binary player in the WNBA.

Clarendon was selected as the ninth overall pick by the Indiana Fever in 2013 and has also played for Atlanta, Connecticut, New York, Minnesota and most recently Los Angeles. Unfortunately, her career has been largely marred by injuries since 2019.

In In 2021 they made history again when they became the first WNBA player to undergo breast surgery. “On January 13th at 10am, I hugged my wife outside my practice building, walked inside and took a deep breath… The day had finally arrived. The day I was allowed to undergo breast surgery!!!!!” they wrote at the time.

Now, in a new social media post, they reflect on their careers and talk about their retirement.

“The lesson I have learned over the past year is that all things come to an end. It is time to end my basketball career. I have made the deepest peace with this decision because my mind, body and soul clearly know it is time to move on,” they wrote. “They say athletes have two deaths. Our career and our final breath. I can tell you, I have mourned this loss deeply. I loved this game with every fiber of my being.”

They also thanked their wife and said without her I couldn’t have made it this far and they thanked their teammates.

“The sisterhood is what I loved and will miss about gaming,” they continued. “The silliest things in the mundane moments. The way you helped me re-dye my mustache, made jokes about my gender, the way I joked about my gender. The way gender is so damn fluid in our league. The way we fight to make the world a better place and it always started with us. The 144 (a reference to the number of players in the league).”

After thanking the league, its coaches, all the teams he played for, the fans and coaches, he delivered a message of joy.

“Even though the grief is heavy, the joy remains. I’m so excited to be celebrated and loved,” they said. “I know I’ve impacted a lot of people (or so I’ve heard, ha). If you’d like, please share a memory, an interaction we had, or something you liked about how I played. I respectfully ask that you don’t say, ‘You’ll be amazing no matter what you choose next.’ I want to stay in the sweetness of THIS moment. Where my heart is broken and tears are rolling down my eyes AND I can also smile, look up, and say, ‘Damn, did I really do all that? 🤯'”

Clerendon made the All-Star team in 2017 and played in the WNBA Finals in 2015. He is married to Jessica Dolan and has a baby with her.

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