Vanessa Hayden

About

Professional basketball player and athlete who is best known for playing as a center in the WNBA for five seasons for teams including the Minnesota Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks, after being selected 7th overall in the 2004 WNBA draft.

Before Fame

She played high school basketball at William R. Boone High School before going on to attend the University of Florida on athletic scholarship. During her senior year, she was selected for the All-Southeastern Conference and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year as well as a second-team All-American. 

Trivia

In the year 2014, she appeared on the 16th season of NBC's reality competition series The Biggest Loser. She also played for several seasons in Europe, for teams in Spain, Turkey, and Italy. She is quite large for a woman, standing at six feet, four inches tall and weighing close to 250 pounds.

Family Life

She welcomed her first child in 2007, causing her to miss the 2007 WNBA season before returning for the 2008 season as a reserve for the Lynx.

Associated With

She was chosen as the 7th overall pick in the 2004 WNBA draft, along with fellow basketball stars including Penny Taylor and LaToya Thomas.