Layshia Clarendon

12-Year WNBA Veteran, First Openly Transgender & Non-Binary Player in WNBA History

Layshia Clarendon

12-Year WNBA Veteran, First Openly Transgender & Non-Binary Player in WNBA History

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Biography

Layshia is a recently retired 12-year WNBA veteran point guard. In her 2 terms as WNBPA Vice president she helped negotiate a groundbreaking CBA Agreement that will serve as a bedrock for women’s professional sports leagues moving forward. In 2018 Clarendon Captured gold with Team USA in the Fiba World Championships. The previous season, Layshia was named a WNBA All-Star, led the league in total assists, and broke the franchise record for assists in a single season with the Atlanta Dream.

Clarendon was Cal’s leading scorer while in college where they led the Golden Bears to the first Final Four in school history. During their senior season, she was an All-Pac-12 first-team selection and the Pac-12 women’s basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In 2022, Layshia was inducted into the Pac-12 Hall of Fame.

Clarendon is a noted social advocate, speaker, and writer, who is often asked to lend their voice and opinions on various social topics. In 2020, Layshia Clarendon became the first out trans and nonbinary player in WNBA history. As an anchor athlete for Athletes for Impact, Layshia launched The Layshia Clarendon Foundation in 2021 to help broaden healthcare access for trans and nonbinary people. They have also been published in The Players’ Tribune, Mic, Esquire, and ESPN. In the off-season, you can find them on the sidelines providing color commentary for women's hoops.

Speaker Videos

Layshia Clarendon's Historic WNBA Career

WNBA Player Layshia Clarendon on Top Surgery Experience

Speech Topics

Rising Above: A Personal Journey of Resilience & Humanity

Layshia Clarendon’s story is one of courage, perseverance, and the unshakable belief in the power of the human spirit. From navigating personal challenges to breaking barriers in professional sports, Clarendon shares an intimate account of how they turned adversity into strength. This keynote isn’t about labels or categories—it’s about the universal truths of struggle, resilience, and growth that connect us all. With honesty and heart, Clarendon reminds audiences that the most powerful victories often come from our hardest battles. Their story leaves listeners not only inspired, but equipped to embrace their own journeys with hope, determination, and humanity.

Sports as a Catalyst for Change: Stories that Move Society Forward

In this keynote, Layshia Clarendon explores how sports transcend the scoreboard to become one of the most powerful arenas for change. Drawing from their own career and the journeys of fellow athletes, Clarendon highlights how the stories of struggle, triumph, and persistence in sports can inspire far beyond the game. These narratives ripple through culture, shaping conversations around justice, leadership, and collective progress. Clarendon shows how athletes—through authenticity and courage—become storytellers who carry society forward, proving that the impact of sports is not just in the play, but in the meaning it brings to the world.