Vanessa L'asonya Hayden-Johnson (born June 5, 1982), née Vanessa L'asonya Hayden, is an American former college and professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player who was a
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
in the
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...
(WNBA) for five seasons in the 2000s. Hayden played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
for the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
, and she played professionally for the
Minnesota Lynx and
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...
of the WNBA.
Early years
Hayden was born in
Orlando, Florida. She attended
William R. Boone High School
William Rennick Boone High School is a public high school in Orlando, Florida. Built in 1952, the school is one of twenty high schools in the Orange County Public Schools system, created to accommodate the growing number of students at Orlando H ...
in Orlando, and played high school basketball for the Boone Braves.
College career
Hayden accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
in Gainesville, Florida, where she played for the
Florida Gators women's basketball
The Florida Gators women's basketball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of basketball. The Gators compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference ( ...
team from 2000 to 2004. As a senior in 2004, she was a first-team All-
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...
(SEC) selection, SEC Defensive Player of the year, and a second-team
All-American. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2004.
Florida statistics
Source
Professional career
Following her collegiate career, she was selected 7th overall in the
2004 WNBA draft. As a rookie in 2004, Hayden-Johnson averaged 5.3 points and 2.9
rebounds
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
per game. In 2005, she improved, averaging 7.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
The 2006 season was a struggle for the third-year center. After reporting to the pre-season training camp 20 pounds overweight, Hayden-Johnson lost her starting job early on and remained prone to foul trouble. With her minutes cut, she averaged 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Hayden-Johnson missed the entire 2007 WNBA season to give birth to her first child. She returned to action in 2008 as a reserve for the Lynx. On January 30, 2009, Hayden-Johnson was traded to the
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...
for
Christi Thomas
Christi Michelle Thomas (born August 14, 1982) played professional basketball in the WNBA. She attended the University of Georgia where she played under coach Andy Landers. She has been a professional since 2004. Christi also played basketball ...
.
WNBA career statistics
Regular season
, -
, align="left" ,
2004
, align="left" ,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, 29 , , 1 , , 12.1 , , .415 , , .000 , , .553 , , 2.9 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , 5.3
, -
, align="left" ,
2005
, align="left" ,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, 31 , , 25 , , 19.2 , , .433 , , .000 , , .556 , , 5.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 2.2 , , 2.0 , , 7.9
, -
, align="left" ,
2006
, align="left" ,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, 33 , , 3 , , 12.8 , , .402 , , .000 , , .621 , , 3.5 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , 5.4
, -
, align="left" ,
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, align="left" ,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, 30 , , 0 , , 10.1 , , .445 , , .000 , , .614 , , 3.5 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.9 , , 5.2
, -
, align="left" ,
2009
, align="left" ,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, 25 , , 1 , , 10.8 , , .411 , , .000 , , .640 , , 2.7 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.9 , , 0.8 , , 3.8
, -
, align="left" , Career
, align="left" , 5 years, 2 teams
, 148 , , 30 , , 13.1 , , .423 , , .000 , , .592 , , 3.6 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 1.2 , , 1.3 , , 5.6
Playoffs
, -
, align="left" ,
2004
, align="left" ,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, 2 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .286 , , .000 , , .000 , , ''1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 1.5 , , 2.0
, -
, align="left" ,
2009
, align="left" ,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, 1 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0
, -
, align="left" , Career
, align="left" , 2 years, 2 teams
, 3 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .286 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 1.0 , , 1.3
European career
* 2004–06:
CB Halcón Viajes
Perfumerías Avenida Baloncesto formerly C.B. Halcón Viajes, is a women's professional basketball team based in Salamanca, Spain. The team currently plays in the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto.
In 2011 Perfumerías Avenida won the Euroleague, and ...
(Spain)
* 2007–08:
Beşiktaş Cola Turka
Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
(Turkey)
* 2008–09:
Umana Reyer Venezia
S.S.P. Reyer Venezia Mestre, commonly known as Reyer Venezia or simply Reyer, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Venice, Veneto. The club currently plays in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the highest tier of basketball in ...
(Italy)
Personal life
Hayden was a contestant on Season 16 of the reality competition ''
The Biggest Loser
''The Biggest Loser'' is a reality television format which started with the American TV show '' The Biggest Loser'' in 2004. The show centers on overweight and obese contestants attempting to lose the most weight; the winner receives a cash priz ...
'', titled ''
The Biggest Loser: Glory Days'', which premiered on September 11, 2014, on NBC.
See also
*
List of Florida Gators in the WNBA
*
List of University of Florida alumni
This list of University of Florida alumni includes current students, former students, and graduates of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Honorary degree recipients can be found on the List of University of Florida honorary degree r ...
References
External links
WNBA Player ProfileVanessa Hayden Seeks a New Beginning (Minnesota Public Radio)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayden, Vanessa
1982 births
Living people
All-American college women's basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in China
American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
American women's basketball players
Basketball players from Orlando, Florida
Beijing Great Wall players
Beşiktaş women's basketball players
Centers (basketball)
Florida Gators women's basketball players
Minnesota Lynx draft picks
Minnesota Lynx players