Post by WBBDaily on Mar 2, 2023 13:26:30 GMT -5
Layshia Clarendon’s comeback: A WNBA how-to story on being cut and persevering
When Layshia Clarendon arrived home from Minnesota early last summer, all they wanted to do was take a breath. The nine-year WNBA veteran had just been released by the Lynx a few days before the start of the 2022 WNBA season and was still digesting what had happened. By all accounts, Clarendon had fit in well with Minnesota since joining the Lynx a couple of weeks into the 2021 season after departing from the New York Liberty. They were a key factor in the Lynx’s midseason turnaround after an 0-4 start and their subsequent playoff appearance, starting in 20 of 21 games while averaging 10.4 points on 51.7 percent shooting and leading the team in assists per game (5.7).
Naturally, the timing of being cut, and the decision itself, stung.
At first, Clarendon kept training with the hopes of being picked up by another team. But when that didn’t happen, they stopped — not just working out — but everything, all at once. Just stopped altogether at 31, perhaps for the first in their career since graduating from Cal in 2013.
“I just took a couple of months off during the summer, just to take a break mentally and emotionally,” they said. “And just kind of grieve not being on a roster and how difficult that was. Definitely felt I got a chance to, you know, heal emotionally and mentally, and I would say spiritually. Heal from the 2020 season. And the 2021 season, when I came out about my top surgery.”
Clarendon is the first nonbinary player in the WNBA and uses interchangeable they/he/she pronouns. As a professional athlete, being open and vulnerable while playing a sport in the spotlight is never easy. By coming out about his identity and subsequent surgery, Clarendon paved the way for upcoming generations of nonbinary athletes while continuing to shine on the basketball court.
Despite his stellar play for Lynx and his impact on the team as a whole, Lynx coach and general manager Cheryl Reeve’s decision to cut him came as a surprise. And though often it felt like an emotional salve, the break away from the hardwood wasn’t always easy.
go-deeper
GO DEEPER
Layshia Clarendon and ‘the path less taken’ through basketball and life
Every once in a while, the basketball bug would bite and Clarendon would turn on a game. Some days, it was fun to watch. Other days, it was unbearable. Instead, he spent his free time enjoying a full summer in the Bay Area with his wife Jessica and their toddler, soaking up experiences he hadn’t had time to enjoy before. By late August, Clarendon felt refreshed and more centered than he had in a long time.
“I was really grateful to have the summer just to decompress all that I had been carrying,” he said. “And the freaking world we live in is heavy. It was a hard summer, but it was really beautiful in that I had time to heal in ways that I knew I needed.”
By early fall, Clarendon started working out and training again. She wanted to keep playing. The only question was, where? Clarendon considered going overseas in October and playing through the spring. “Then I was like, oh, WNBA prioritization. When am I gonna be back? Then I had to think about that whole thing,” she said. “And I was like, do I take my family? Do I leave them? Really, overseas is just not my jam. Ultimately, we decided not to. It was just too hard.”
Clarendon decided to look into alternative options. She knew she wanted to keep playing competitive basketball, regardless of whether her road forward would lead back to the WNBA. But as someone who has not competed overseas since 2013, getting into broadcasting instead to supplement his WNBA income, the hardest challenge was finding basketball players good enough to compete with and against.
“You know, you’re either playing with your college team, or some random pick-up where some dudes think they can play for the NBA, and you just find yourself in all these situations,” Clarendon said, laughing. “Having really high-level competition is something that garnered my attention (with Athletes Unlimited).”
AU had been on Clarendon’s radar. They were friendly with AU’s senior advisor of operations, Ilene Hauser, and had had numerous conversations about the league. Last year, Claredon said they watched AU’s first basketball session from afar with anticipation and excitement. This year, joining the league for its second session in Dallas, seemed like a no-brainer.
go-deeper
GO DEEPER
‘This is the next big thing for us’: Can new Athletes Unlimited basketball league be a home for players?
“When I originally signed with AU, I wasn’t on a W roster yet,” said Clarendon, who signed a training camp contract with the Los Angeles Sparks in early February. “And I think that’s important because I was super excited that AU existed. Because I did not want to go overseas again. I just wanted to play basketball again, right?”
Four games into the season, Clarendon is 10th in the league in points. She’s focused on enjoying the experience and pushing herself — being tough and physical, getting into the paint, involving teammates, leading by example and, of course, moving up the AU leaderboard. But as the weeks go by and winter fades into spring, her basketball journey won’t end with the AU season.
Soon, they’ll head back West to give their WNBA career another go in Los Angeles. It doesn’t come without trepidation.
“That’s been the mind f— to me going into this season,” Clarendon said. “Because I’m on a training camp contract, but I was on a contract with (the Lynx) last year and (they) let me go. So it’s like you’re really always fighting for a spot in this league. And mentally, it just feels better to be like, oh I’m already on the team, you know? But then I was blindsided. At the end of the day, you’re always fighting.”
Clarendon’s story isn’t unique — a well-known, experienced and valued WNBA player who is unable to stick on a roster because of salary cap and veteran minimums. Even players on protected contracts are at risk of being cut. With only 144 roster spots available and a hard salary cap ($1,420,500 in 2023), almost no one besides the most marquee players is safe.
“You know you have to detach who you are from getting evaluated. It’s really hard to get evaluated,” Clarendon said. “It’s very public. So, it’s just focusing on my own process and being the best version of myself.”
For Clarendon, playing basketball at a competitive level is only part of the equation. After taking part in preliminary meetings, practices and eventually session games, the inside perspective has given them a whole new appreciation for AU. The model — having everything in one city without the hassle of travel or additional travel expenses, drawing talented young players as well as veterans in and out of the WNBA, being player-run, visibility on television, as well as the timing of the session as precursor to the WNBA season — just made sense to them.
As an athlete who uses their platform to push women’s sports forward, Clarendon fits in alongside other AU alums and WNBA vets like Sydney Colson and Natasha Cloud. “It’s just been top notch being here,” Clarendon said. “This is a professional league. We’re treated like professionals, like how we should be.”
As for the actual basketball part, Clarendon admittedly had to adjust to AU’s scoring system and leaderboard structure (players compete on teams but are also held accountable individually based on performance — gaining points for assists and buckets, losing points for bad shots, turnovers and more, while moving up and down the leaderboard). Playing on teams led by captains instead of coaches was also a new wrinkle. But Clarendon said it opened his eyes to thinking about basketball differently, such as how to plan practices and taking on a more active player/coach role.
The depth of talent in AU and the more exposure through the WNBA’s live-streaming on WNBA League Pass this season have Clarendon seeing the league as an important offseason alternative for WNBA players.
“It’s hard to stream games from overseas. (Commissioner) Cathy (Engelbert) wants her players at home. But the players are like, ‘What do we do when we’re home, Cathy?” Clarendon said. “Now AU is stepping in that gap and saying like, here’s something you can do. And we’ll pay you. … And the W gets to see those players in markets and they get to tell those stories more. I was really happy to see that.”
go-deeper
GO DEEPER
The offseason is a grind for WNBA players who compete overseas. More are deciding to stay home
Only two years young, AU is carving out a niche for itself, essentially filling a longtime void in women’s professional basketball.
“In my opinion, it’s a win-win for all players — from collegiate to current WNBA to (those) wanting to get there,” Seattle Storm assistant coach and AU facilitator Pokey Chatman said. “And that’s part of the reason why I’m here. I’m an old head. I think for me, it’s about, this is legacy stuff. Now, we’ve got another (women’s basketball) platform? It gets me excited.”
Long-term viability and future growth revenue possibilities remain to be seen. Clarendon is keeping an eye on those aspects. Right now, his salary for AU starts at $11,000. “Depending on what contracts people make overseas, you’re playing a lot less and you’re getting to be home. There’s like a give and take there,” he said. “You’re gonna want to continue to make money if you’re doing this on top of your W salary. If it’s the only money players are making in the offseason, I’d be curious how players will balance that.”
Chatman said AU is already viable. Hence, why she’s spending six weeks living in a hotel in Dallas. “Last year, I would have said it’s big. Now I think it’s huge. Because the AU rosters have gotten better with more W players,” she said.
Despite multiple WNBA crossover players on rosters, Colson stressed in a preseason news conference that AU Basketball isn’t intended to be a G League or a pipeline to the WNBA. It’s about offering a feasible option for anyone who has the talent to play professional basketball stateside. “For us, it’s very important to our core of this league to keep it that way and to always give more people opportunities,” Colson said.
Opportunity. That’s ultimately what it comes down to. And that’s exactly what Clarendon was looking for when they were exploring their basketball options. AU has been more than an opportunity; it’s been a gift, they said.
They realized if they’re not what a WNBA team wants, it doesn’t change their worth or value.
“It always comes to that for myself,” Clarendon said.
(Photos of Layshia Clarendon: Jade Hewitt / Athletes Unlimited)
Naturally, the timing of being cut, and the decision itself, stung.
At first, Clarendon kept training with the hopes of being picked up by another team. But when that didn’t happen, they stopped — not just working out — but everything, all at once. Just stopped altogether at 31, perhaps for the first in their career since graduating from Cal in 2013.
“I just took a couple of months off during the summer, just to take a break mentally and emotionally,” they said. “And just kind of grieve not being on a roster and how difficult that was. Definitely felt I got a chance to, you know, heal emotionally and mentally, and I would say spiritually. Heal from the 2020 season. And the 2021 season, when I came out about my top surgery.”
Clarendon is the first nonbinary player in the WNBA and uses interchangeable they/he/she pronouns. As a professional athlete, being open and vulnerable while playing a sport in the spotlight is never easy. By coming out about his identity and subsequent surgery, Clarendon paved the way for upcoming generations of nonbinary athletes while continuing to shine on the basketball court.
Despite his stellar play for Lynx and his impact on the team as a whole, Lynx coach and general manager Cheryl Reeve’s decision to cut him came as a surprise. And though often it felt like an emotional salve, the break away from the hardwood wasn’t always easy.
go-deeper
GO DEEPER
Layshia Clarendon and ‘the path less taken’ through basketball and life
Every once in a while, the basketball bug would bite and Clarendon would turn on a game. Some days, it was fun to watch. Other days, it was unbearable. Instead, he spent his free time enjoying a full summer in the Bay Area with his wife Jessica and their toddler, soaking up experiences he hadn’t had time to enjoy before. By late August, Clarendon felt refreshed and more centered than he had in a long time.
“I was really grateful to have the summer just to decompress all that I had been carrying,” he said. “And the freaking world we live in is heavy. It was a hard summer, but it was really beautiful in that I had time to heal in ways that I knew I needed.”
By early fall, Clarendon started working out and training again. She wanted to keep playing. The only question was, where? Clarendon considered going overseas in October and playing through the spring. “Then I was like, oh, WNBA prioritization. When am I gonna be back? Then I had to think about that whole thing,” she said. “And I was like, do I take my family? Do I leave them? Really, overseas is just not my jam. Ultimately, we decided not to. It was just too hard.”
Clarendon decided to look into alternative options. She knew she wanted to keep playing competitive basketball, regardless of whether her road forward would lead back to the WNBA. But as someone who has not competed overseas since 2013, getting into broadcasting instead to supplement his WNBA income, the hardest challenge was finding basketball players good enough to compete with and against.
“You know, you’re either playing with your college team, or some random pick-up where some dudes think they can play for the NBA, and you just find yourself in all these situations,” Clarendon said, laughing. “Having really high-level competition is something that garnered my attention (with Athletes Unlimited).”
AU had been on Clarendon’s radar. They were friendly with AU’s senior advisor of operations, Ilene Hauser, and had had numerous conversations about the league. Last year, Claredon said they watched AU’s first basketball session from afar with anticipation and excitement. This year, joining the league for its second session in Dallas, seemed like a no-brainer.
go-deeper
GO DEEPER
‘This is the next big thing for us’: Can new Athletes Unlimited basketball league be a home for players?
“When I originally signed with AU, I wasn’t on a W roster yet,” said Clarendon, who signed a training camp contract with the Los Angeles Sparks in early February. “And I think that’s important because I was super excited that AU existed. Because I did not want to go overseas again. I just wanted to play basketball again, right?”
Four games into the season, Clarendon is 10th in the league in points. She’s focused on enjoying the experience and pushing herself — being tough and physical, getting into the paint, involving teammates, leading by example and, of course, moving up the AU leaderboard. But as the weeks go by and winter fades into spring, her basketball journey won’t end with the AU season.
Soon, they’ll head back West to give their WNBA career another go in Los Angeles. It doesn’t come without trepidation.
“That’s been the mind f— to me going into this season,” Clarendon said. “Because I’m on a training camp contract, but I was on a contract with (the Lynx) last year and (they) let me go. So it’s like you’re really always fighting for a spot in this league. And mentally, it just feels better to be like, oh I’m already on the team, you know? But then I was blindsided. At the end of the day, you’re always fighting.”
Clarendon’s story isn’t unique — a well-known, experienced and valued WNBA player who is unable to stick on a roster because of salary cap and veteran minimums. Even players on protected contracts are at risk of being cut. With only 144 roster spots available and a hard salary cap ($1,420,500 in 2023), almost no one besides the most marquee players is safe.
“You know you have to detach who you are from getting evaluated. It’s really hard to get evaluated,” Clarendon said. “It’s very public. So, it’s just focusing on my own process and being the best version of myself.”
For Clarendon, playing basketball at a competitive level is only part of the equation. After taking part in preliminary meetings, practices and eventually session games, the inside perspective has given them a whole new appreciation for AU. The model — having everything in one city without the hassle of travel or additional travel expenses, drawing talented young players as well as veterans in and out of the WNBA, being player-run, visibility on television, as well as the timing of the session as precursor to the WNBA season — just made sense to them.
As an athlete who uses their platform to push women’s sports forward, Clarendon fits in alongside other AU alums and WNBA vets like Sydney Colson and Natasha Cloud. “It’s just been top notch being here,” Clarendon said. “This is a professional league. We’re treated like professionals, like how we should be.”
As for the actual basketball part, Clarendon admittedly had to adjust to AU’s scoring system and leaderboard structure (players compete on teams but are also held accountable individually based on performance — gaining points for assists and buckets, losing points for bad shots, turnovers and more, while moving up and down the leaderboard). Playing on teams led by captains instead of coaches was also a new wrinkle. But Clarendon said it opened his eyes to thinking about basketball differently, such as how to plan practices and taking on a more active player/coach role.
The depth of talent in AU and the more exposure through the WNBA’s live-streaming on WNBA League Pass this season have Clarendon seeing the league as an important offseason alternative for WNBA players.
“It’s hard to stream games from overseas. (Commissioner) Cathy (Engelbert) wants her players at home. But the players are like, ‘What do we do when we’re home, Cathy?” Clarendon said. “Now AU is stepping in that gap and saying like, here’s something you can do. And we’ll pay you. … And the W gets to see those players in markets and they get to tell those stories more. I was really happy to see that.”
go-deeper
GO DEEPER
The offseason is a grind for WNBA players who compete overseas. More are deciding to stay home
Only two years young, AU is carving out a niche for itself, essentially filling a longtime void in women’s professional basketball.
“In my opinion, it’s a win-win for all players — from collegiate to current WNBA to (those) wanting to get there,” Seattle Storm assistant coach and AU facilitator Pokey Chatman said. “And that’s part of the reason why I’m here. I’m an old head. I think for me, it’s about, this is legacy stuff. Now, we’ve got another (women’s basketball) platform? It gets me excited.”
Long-term viability and future growth revenue possibilities remain to be seen. Clarendon is keeping an eye on those aspects. Right now, his salary for AU starts at $11,000. “Depending on what contracts people make overseas, you’re playing a lot less and you’re getting to be home. There’s like a give and take there,” he said. “You’re gonna want to continue to make money if you’re doing this on top of your W salary. If it’s the only money players are making in the offseason, I’d be curious how players will balance that.”
Chatman said AU is already viable. Hence, why she’s spending six weeks living in a hotel in Dallas. “Last year, I would have said it’s big. Now I think it’s huge. Because the AU rosters have gotten better with more W players,” she said.
Despite multiple WNBA crossover players on rosters, Colson stressed in a preseason news conference that AU Basketball isn’t intended to be a G League or a pipeline to the WNBA. It’s about offering a feasible option for anyone who has the talent to play professional basketball stateside. “For us, it’s very important to our core of this league to keep it that way and to always give more people opportunities,” Colson said.
Opportunity. That’s ultimately what it comes down to. And that’s exactly what Clarendon was looking for when they were exploring their basketball options. AU has been more than an opportunity; it’s been a gift, they said.
They realized if they’re not what a WNBA team wants, it doesn’t change their worth or value.
“It always comes to that for myself,” Clarendon said.
(Photos of Layshia Clarendon: Jade Hewitt / Athletes Unlimited)
