Vanessa Hayden

Vanessa L'asonya Hayden-Johnson (born June 5, 1982), née Vanessa L'asonya Hayden, is an American former college and professional basketball player who was a center in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for five seasons in the 2000s. Hayden played college basketball for the University of Florida, and she played professionally for the Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA.

Vanessa Hayden

Personal information
Born	(1982-06-05) June 5, 1982 (age 43) Orlando, Florida
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school	William R. Boone (Orlando, Florida)
College	Florida (2000–2004)
WNBA draft	2004: 1st round, 7th overall pick
Drafted by	Minnesota Lynx
Playing career	2004–2009
Position	Center
Number	55
Career history
2004–2008	Minnesota Lynx
2009	Los Angeles Sparks
Career highlights
SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2004) 2x First-team All-SEC (2002, 2004) Second-team All-American – AP (2004) SEC All-Freshman Team (2001)
Stats at Basketball Reference

Early years

Hayden was born in Orlando, Florida. She attended William R. Boone High School in Orlando, and played high school basketball for the Boone Braves.

College career

Hayden accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where she played for the Florida Gators women's basketball team from 2000 to 2004. As a senior in 2004, she was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (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^[1]

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Year	Team	GP	Points	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2000-01	Florida	30	312	52.2	-	47.0	9.2	0.6	1.0	2.3	10.4
2001-02	Florida	29	496	50.6	-	61.5	11.8	1.4	0.8	4.3	17.1
2002-03	Florida	18	197	44.0	-	60.3	9.4	0.8	0.8	3.1	10.9
2003-04	Florida	30	571	52.2	-	59.1	10.6	1.3	0.9	3.5	19.0
Career	Florida	107	1576	50.5	-	57.2	10.3	1.0	0.9	3.3	14.7

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 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 for Christi Thomas.

WNBA career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game	RPG	Rebounds per game
APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game	BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game
TO	Turnovers per game	FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
Bold	Career best	°	League leader

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2004	Minnesota	29	1	12.1	.415	.000	.553	2.9	0.2	0.2	1.0	1.2	5.3
2005	Minnesota	31	25	19.2	.433	.000	.556	5.3	0.7	0.5	2.2	2.0	7.9
2006	Minnesota	33	3	12.8	.402	.000	.621	3.5	0.6	0.2	1.3	1.3	5.4
2008	Minnesota	30	0	10.1	.445	.000	.614	3.5	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.9	5.2
2009	Los Angeles	25	1	10.8	.411	.000	.640	2.7	0.2	0.2	0.9	0.8	3.8
Career	5 years, 2 teams	148	30	13.1	.423	.000	.592	3.6	0.5	0.3	1.2	1.3	5.6

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PPG
2004	Minnesota	2	0	8.0	.286	.000	.000	1.0'	0.0	0.0	0.5	1.5	2.0
2009	Los Angeles	1	0	2.0	.000	.000	.000	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Career	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 (Spain)
• 2007–08: Beşiktaş Cola Turka (Turkey)
• 2008–09: Umana Reyer Venezia (Italy)

Personal life

Hayden was a contestant on Season 16 of the reality competition The Biggest Loser, 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