Zulekha Haywood is the daughter of fashion icon Iman and former NBA star Spencer Haywood. Born into a family connected to fashion, basketball, and entertainment, she grew up surrounded by public attention but later chose a much quieter path of her own. Rather than pursuing a career in modeling or sports, Zulekha developed professional experience in the business and corporate world.
Her life has also included several important personal chapters, from her parents’ highly publicized divorce and custody dispute to her well-known journey with weight and health. Despite having famous parents and connections to the Bowie family, Zulekha has largely kept her personal life private. Her story offers a look at how she developed her own identity and career while remaining largely outside the spotlight.
Zulekha Haywood Quick Bio
| Category | Details |
| Full Name | Zulekha Haywood |
| Also Known As | Zulekha Haywood Young |
| Date of Birth | July 5, 1978 |
| Age | 46 years old (as of 2025) |
| Place of Birth | United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Somali-American |
| Height | 6 feet (183 cm) |
| Mother | Iman (Somali-American supermodel) |
| Father | Spencer Haywood (NBA Hall of Famer) |
| Stepfather | David Bowie (musician, deceased 2016) |
| Half-Sister | Alexandria “Lexi” Zahra Jones |
| Half-Brother | Duncan Jones |
| Education | Mercy High School, Michigan State University |
| Occupation | Business Analyst, Supply Chain Manager |
| Known Employers | Iman Cosmetics, Jay Manuel Beauty, Taymark, Portu Sunberg |
| Net Worth | Approximately $4 million |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Husband | Jason Young (married November 2, 2016) |
| Children | Lavinia Rose Young (born 2017) |
| Residence | Wichita, Kansas, USA |
| Social Media | LinkedIn (professional only) |
| Famous For | Daughter of Iman and Spencer Haywood, Weight Loss Journey |
Who Is Zulekha Haywood?
Zulekha Haywood is the daughter of former NBA player Spencer Haywood and model Iman. She grew up with parents who were well known in professional sports and fashion, but she chose to keep much of her adult life away from the public eye. Rather than following her parents into basketball or modeling, she developed a career in business and has been associated with areas such as accounting, business analysis, demand planning, inventory, and sourcing.
Zulekha has attracted public interest largely because of her famous family background and her own journey outside the entertainment world. She has maintained a relatively private profile while building professional experience in the business sector. Her story is therefore less about celebrity appearances and more about creating a career separate from the fame of her parents.
Zulekha Haywood’s Early Life and Family Background
Zulekha was born on July 5, 1978, to Iman and Spencer Haywood. Her mother became internationally known as a model, while her father built a major career in professional basketball. Growing up in this family placed Zulekha close to two very different worlds, fashion and sports, although she did not pursue either as a career.
Her childhood also included a difficult period in her parents’ relationship. Iman and Spencer Haywood divorced in 1987, and their disagreement over Zulekha’s custody continued for several years. In 1992, the dispute was settled outside court, with Zulekha continuing high school in Detroit while living with her father. Iman was given visitation rights under the agreement.
Zulekha Haywood’s Parents Iman and Spencer Haywood
Zulekha’s parents are two well-known figures from very different fields. Iman became one of the most recognized models of her generation and later developed a successful cosmetics business. Spencer Haywood, meanwhile, was an Olympic gold medalist and NBA star whose career made him an important figure in basketball history. Their marriage began in 1978 and ended in divorce in 1987.
Zulekha Haywood’s Mother Iman
Iman, whose birth name is Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid, was born in Somalia and became internationally known through her modeling career. She later moved into business and founded Iman Cosmetics, a company that became known for creating beauty products for women with a wide range of skin tones. She also married musician David Bowie in 1992 and remained a prominent figure in fashion and popular culture.
Zulekha Haywood’s Father Spencer Haywood
Spencer Haywood is a former professional basketball player and Olympic gold medalist. He played for several NBA teams during his career and became known for challenging the NBA’s eligibility rules for younger players. His successful legal challenge helped change the rules surrounding when players could enter the league. He was later inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
Zulekha Haywood’s Childhood and Her Parents’ Divorce
Zulekha’s parents divorced when she was nine years old. The separation was followed by a lengthy custody dispute that received public attention because both parents were prominent figures. The dispute was ultimately settled in 1992 when Zulekha was 14. Under the agreement, she remained in Detroit with her father while continuing her high school education, and Iman retained visitation rights.
The custody case is an important part of Zulekha’s early biography, but much of the detail surrounding the dispute comes from reports published at the time. It is therefore better to focus on the confirmed outcome rather than repeat personal accusations made during the case. This also gives a clearer picture of her childhood without turning her biography into a story about her parents’ legal conflict.
Zulekha Haywood’s Education
Zulekha Haywood attended Mercy High School in Farmington Hills, Michigan, before continuing her education at Michigan State University. Her education is commonly mentioned in biographical accounts of her life, although detailed information about her university years and specific academic achievements is limited.
Her educational path was followed by a career in business rather than entertainment. Over time, her reported professional roles have involved areas such as business analysis, planning, inventory, and sourcing. These fields gave her a career that remained largely separate from the public careers of her parents.
Zulekha Haywood’s Career and Professional Life
Zulekha began her professional career with Iman Cosmetics, the beauty company founded by her mother. Accounts of her career describe her as taking on business and administrative responsibilities before moving into roles connected with account management and revenue and demand planning. She later worked outside the family business, with reported positions involving business analysis, brand operations, inventory, and sourcing.
Her career history has been reported under several different job titles, and the exact timeline differs between online biographies. The broader pattern, however, is consistent: her professional background has centered on business operations and analysis rather than entertainment. Reported employers and roles have included Jay Manuel Beauty, Portu Sunberg, and Taymark, with work related to planning, inventory, procurement, and strategic sourcing.
This career path has allowed Zulekha to build a professional identity separate from her family’s fame. Unlike her mother, she did not make modeling her career, and unlike her father, she did not enter professional sports. Her work has largely remained behind the scenes in the business and consumer-products sector.
Zulekha Haywood’s Weight Loss Journey
Zulekha Haywood publicly discussed her long struggle with weight in a 2010 first-person article for Glamour. She wrote that she had struggled with her weight from childhood and had tried different diets over the years. At her heaviest, she weighed about 330 pounds. She also described how difficult her weight had become for her health and daily life as she got older.
Zulekha eventually decided to undergo gastric bypass surgery. In her 2010 account, she explained that the procedure took place about two and a half years before the article was published. She described losing a significant amount of weight afterward and moving from a size 26 to a size 6. Her story focused not only on the physical change but also on feeling more comfortable and confident in herself after years of struggling with her weight.
What Is Known About Zulekha Haywood’s Marriage and Family?
Zulekha Haywood has generally kept details about her marriage and family life away from the public eye. Several biographical accounts identify her husband as Jason Young and report that the couple married in 2016. However, detailed information about their relationship and private life is limited, so it is better not to add personal details that have not been clearly established.
Zulekha’s family background has naturally attracted attention because of her parents and her connection to the Bowie family. Still, she has maintained a much lower public profile than her mother, Iman. As a result, information about her married life should be kept factual and limited to details that are well established.
Does Zulekha Haywood Have Children?
Zulekha Haywood has a daughter, Lavinia Rose Young, with her husband Jason Young. Reports about her family identify Lavinia as the couple’s child and place her birth in 2017. Zulekha has kept her daughter’s life largely private, so there is limited reliable information about her childhood or day-to-day life.
Becoming a mother added another chapter to Zulekha’s family story, which already connects several well-known names from fashion, basketball, and music. Her daughter is part of the wider Haywood and Iman family, but Zulekha has not made her child’s private life a major part of her public profile.
Zulekha Haywood’s Siblings and Family Connections
Zulekha is the daughter of Iman and Spencer Haywood and is part of a larger blended family. Through Iman’s marriage to David Bowie, she has a younger maternal half-sister, Alexandria Zahra Jones, better known as Lexi Jones. Lexi is the daughter of Iman and David Bowie and was born in 2000.
Zulekha is also connected to Duncan Jones through Iman’s marriage to David Bowie. Duncan is David Bowie’s son from his first marriage, which makes him Zulekha’s stepbrother rather than her biological half-brother. Spencer Haywood also has children from other relationships, giving Zulekha additional family connections on her father’s side. Because details about some of these family relationships are limited, it is best to mention only relationships that can be clearly established.
Zulekha Haywood’s Connection to David Bowie’s Family
Zulekha became connected to David Bowie’s family when her mother, Iman, married the British musician in 1992. Bowie became her stepfather, while his son Duncan Jones became her stepbrother. Iman and Bowie later had a daughter, Alexandria Zahra Jones, giving Zulekha a maternal half-sister.
Although the Bowie connection has naturally added interest to Zulekha’s biography, she has not pursued a public career in music, film, or entertainment. Her own professional path has been focused on business and corporate work, which has kept her life separate from the entertainment careers of several members of her extended family.
Why Has Zulekha Haywood Stayed Out of the Spotlight?
Zulekha Haywood has maintained a relatively private public profile compared with her mother and other members of her extended family. There is limited reliable information about her personal routines, social-media activity, or reasons for keeping certain parts of her life private. For that reason, it would be speculative to say exactly why she has chosen a quieter public presence.
What is clear is that Zulekha built her professional life outside modeling and entertainment. Her career has included work in business, planning, inventory, and related corporate areas, giving her an identity that is separate from the careers of her famous parents.
Where Is Zulekha Haywood Today?
Zulekha Haywood continues to attract interest because of her family background, career, and personal journey, but detailed information about her current life is limited. Recent biographies continue to associate her with business and supply-chain-related work, although her exact current position is not consistently reported across sources.
She has largely remained away from the entertainment spotlight while maintaining connections to her family. Rather than making unverified claims about her current location, income, or daily life, it is more accurate to describe Zulekha as a private person who has built a career outside the public careers of her parents.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Old Is Zulekha Haywood?
Zulekha Haywood was born on July 5, 1978, making her 48 years old in 2026.
2. Who Are Zulekha Haywood’s Parents?
Her parents are former NBA star Spencer Haywood and fashion model and entrepreneur Iman.
3. Is Zulekha Haywood Married?
Yes. Zulekha Haywood is reported to be married to Jason Young. The couple married in 2016.
4. Does Zulekha Haywood Have Children?
Yes. Zulekha has a daughter named Lavinia Rose Young.
5. What Does Zulekha Haywood Do for a Living?
Zulekha has built a career in business, with professional experience in areas including demand planning, inventory, and supply-chain-related work.
6. Who Is Zulekha Haywood’s Half-Sister?
Her maternal half-sister is Alexandria Zahra Jones, also known as Lexi Jones, the daughter of Iman and David Bowie.
7. What Is Zulekha Haywood Known For?
Zulekha is best known as the daughter of Iman and Spencer Haywood and for building a private life and career outside the entertainment industry.
Conclusion
Zulekha Haywood has built a life that extends beyond the fame of her parents, Iman and Spencer Haywood. From growing up in a well-known family and facing challenges during her childhood to developing a career in the business world, her journey has taken a different path from the entertainment and sports careers of her parents. Her experience with weight and the changes she made later in life also became an important part of her personal story. Today, Zulekha remains a relatively private figure, choosing to keep much of her personal and family life away from public attention while maintaining her own identity and professional path.
