Zulekha Haywood: What to Know About Iman’s Eldest Daughter

Zulekha Haywood is the daughter of supermodel and businesswoman Iman and former NBA star Spencer Haywood. Unlike her famous parents, she chose a career in business rather than modeling or professional sports. She is also known for speaking publicly about her long struggle with weight and her decision to have weight-loss surgery.

Quick Facts

Zulekha Haywood’s Age and Early Life

Zulekha Haywood was born in the United States in 1978. Multiple reports give her birthday as July 5, 1978. Her father, Spencer Haywood, has also publicly celebrated her birthday around this date.

One secondary source gives July 15 in an FAQ, but this conflicts with the July 5 date used elsewhere in the same source. July 5 is therefore the more consistently reported date.

Zulekha Haywood grew up with two famous parents. Her mother was one of the best-known models of her generation, while her father was a successful professional basketball player.

She was exposed to the public at an early age. In 1979, while still a baby, she reportedly appeared with Iman in an issue of Essence magazine.

Who Is Zulekha Haywood’s Mother, Iman?

Zulekha’s mother is Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid, better known professionally as Iman.

Iman was born in Somalia and became an internationally known fashion model. She worked with major photographers and designers and became one of the best-known Black models in the fashion industry.

She later became an entrepreneur and founded IMAN Cosmetics, a beauty company created with women of color in mind.

After her marriage to Spencer Haywood ended, Iman married musician David Bowie in 1992. They remained married until Bowie’s death in 2016.

and Bowie had a daughter, Alexandria Zahra Jones, also known as Lexi, in 2000. She is Zulekha’s younger maternal half-sister.

Who Is Zulekha Haywood’s Father, Spencer Haywood?

Zulekha’s father, Spencer Haywood, is a former professional basketball player.

He won an Olympic gold medal with the United States men’s basketball team at the 1968 Summer Olympics.

His professional career included time with teams such as the Seattle SuperSonics, New York Knicks, New Orleans Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, and Washington Bullets.

Spencer was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

He has remained publicly supportive of Zulekha Haywood and has shared photographs and family updates involving her and her daughter.

Iman and Spencer Haywood’s Marriage and Divorce

Iman and Spencer Haywood met in the 1970s and married in 1978. Zulekha was born that same year.

Their marriage later ended. Their divorce was finalized in 1987.

The former couple then became involved in a long custody dispute over Zulekha.

Published accounts disagree about the final custody outcome. Some secondary sources say Spencer eventually received custody, while another says he lost the custody battle. Because these reports conflict, the exact final arrangement should be treated cautiously.

Zulekha Haywood’s Siblings

Zulekha has several half-siblings through her parents’ other relationships.

Her maternal half-sister is Alexandria Zahra Jones, the daughter of Iman and David Bowie. Alexandria was born in 2000.

Reports identify Nikiah, Isis, and Shaakira as Zulekha’s paternal half-sisters through Spencer Haywood.

David Bowie’s son Duncan Jones became part of Zulekha’s extended family after Bowie married Iman. Duncan is her stepbrother rather than a biological sibling.

Zulekha Haywood’s Education

Zulekha Haywood reportedly attended Mercy High School in Michigan.

Several biographies say she later attended Michigan State University and earned a degree connected with Human Resource Management.

Detailed information about her time at the university is limited, so these educational details mainly come from secondary biographical sources.

Zulekha Haywood Chose Business Instead of Modeling

Zulekha did not follow her mother into professional modeling or her father into sports.

Instead, she built a career in business. Published profiles have described her as an accountant, business analyst, consultant, and business professional.

One of her earliest reported jobs was at her mother’s company, IMAN Cosmetics.

Her Career at IMAN Cosmetics

Zulekha Haywood reportedly spent more than a decade working at IMAN Cosmetics.

She began with accounting-related responsibilities. One report says she became an accounting manager in 2002.

Her work reportedly included areas such as financial records, sales, product orders, and other business operations.

Working at IMAN Cosmetics allowed her to build a career in the business side of the beauty industry rather than becoming a model herself.

Work After IMAN Cosmetics

After leaving IMAN Cosmetics, Zulekha Haywood reportedly worked for several other businesses.

She has been linked with Jay Manuel Beauty, where reports describe her as working in project management and brand analysis.

She later reportedly worked as an inventory analyst at Portu Sunberg. Her responsibilities were said to include developing customer programs.

Older reports also connected her with McShares, Inc. in Salina, Kansas. She was described as working in customer relations and demand analysis.

Some biographies also say she has worked with written content for advertising departments and publications.

Her current employer and exact professional position in 2026 are not publicly confirmed.

Zulekha Haywood’s Weight Struggles

One of the most documented parts of Zulekha’s personal story is her struggle with weight.

She discussed the subject publicly during a 2010 appearance on Today with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb.

Zulekha said she began dieting when she was around eight years old.

She recalled that Iman would use the word “basta,” meaning “enough” in Italian, when she thought her daughter had eaten enough.

Her father took a different approach. Zulekha described another weight-loss effort as “Eat Like a Pig, Run Like a Horse.”

It involved intensive exercise at a tennis camp. She said she trained for around four hours per day and lost about 30 pounds.

She later regained the weight and additional pounds after she stopped following the demanding exercise routine.

Her Weight-Loss Surgery

Zulekha’s weight eventually reached more than 300 pounds. Reports place her highest weight at roughly 320 to 330 pounds.

She became concerned about the possible effects of her weight on her long-term health and eventually decided to undergo weight-loss surgery.

Sources disagree about the exact procedure. Some call it gastric bypass surgery, while another describes it as gastric band surgery. The available material does not clearly settle this difference.

Reports say she eventually reached about 165 pounds after losing a significant amount of weight.

Because her experience involved medical treatment, details reported by secondary sources should not be treated as medical advice or as guidance for other people considering weight-loss procedures.

Who Is Zulekha Haywood’s Husband?

Zulekha Haywood keeps her romantic life private.

Several secondary biographies report that she married her longtime partner, Jason Young, in 2016. The wedding was reportedly a private event attended by close friends and relatives.

Very little reliable public information is available about Jason Young or his career.

Zulekha’s current relationship status in 2026 has not been widely documented by strong public sources.

Zulekha Haywood Has a Daughter

Zulekha Haywood became a mother in 2017.

Her father, Spencer Haywood, publicly announced the birth and shared a photograph of Zulekha in the hospital. He identified his granddaughter as Lavinia and said that both mother and baby were doing well.

Some secondary sources give the child’s full name as Lavinia Rose Young.

Spencer has continued to share occasional family photographs. In December 2021, he posted a picture showing Zulekha Haywood with an older Lavinia.

Zulekha Haywood herself has kept most details about her daughter’s life private.

Her Relationship With Her Father

Despite the difficult custody dispute that followed her parents’ divorce, later public posts indicate that Zulekha Haywood has maintained a relationship with Spencer Haywood.

Spencer has shared photographs of his daughter and granddaughter on social media. He also publicly celebrated Zulekha’s birthday and announced Lavinia’s birth.

Her Relationship With David Bowie

David Bowie became Zulekha’s stepfather when he married Iman in 1992.

Bowie and Iman remained together until his death in January 2016.

Their daughter, Alexandria Zahra Jones, is Zulekha’s maternal half-sister. Bowie’s son from his previous marriage, filmmaker Duncan Jones, became Zulekha’s stepbrother.

Zulekha has generally kept details about her relationship with Bowie out of the public eye.

Zulekha Haywood’s Net Worth

Zulekha Haywood’s personal net worth is not reliably known.

Some websites provide estimates, but there are no publicly available financial records that establish an accurate figure.

She has worked in business for many years, but her earnings, assets, and other financial information remain private.

Where Is Zulekha Haywood Now?

Zulekha Haywood maintains a much lower public profile than either of her parents.

Older professional information connected her with Salina, Kansas, through her reported work at McShares, Inc. However, her current residence and employer in 2026 have not been reliably confirmed.

She does not regularly appear in entertainment news and appears to keep most of her personal and family life private.

Zulekha Haywood’s Social Media

Zulekha Haywood does not appear to maintain the same level of public social media presence as her famous parents.

Many of the publicly available family updates about her have instead come from Spencer Haywood’s social media posts.

Any social media account claiming to belong to Zulekha Haywood should be treated cautiously unless its ownership can be independently confirmed.

Interesting Facts

• Zulekha Haywood was born in 1978 in the United States.
• July 5, 1978, is her most consistently reported birth date.
• She is the daughter of supermodel Iman and basketball legend Spencer Haywood.
• She appeared with her mother in Essence magazine when she was a baby, according to published reports.
• Her parents divorced in 1987.
• She reportedly attended Mercy High School in Michigan.
• She reportedly studied Human Resource Management at Michigan State University.
• She chose a business career rather than modeling or professional sports.
• She reportedly worked at IMAN Cosmetics for more than 12 years.
• Her other reported employers include Jay Manuel Beauty, Portu Sunberg, and McShares, Inc.
• She publicly discussed her lifelong struggle with weight on Today in 2010.
• She said she began dieting at about eight years old.
• Her weight reportedly reached around 320 to 330 pounds before weight-loss surgery.
• Reports say she later reached about 165 pounds.
• Sources disagree about whether her procedure was gastric bypass or gastric band surgery.
• She reportedly married Jason Young in 2016, although she keeps her relationship private.
• She became a mother in 2017.
• Her daughter’s name is Lavinia; some reports give her full name as Lavinia Rose Young.
• Alexandria Zahra Jones is her younger maternal half-sister.
• David Bowie was her stepfather.
• Filmmaker Duncan Jones is her stepbrother.
• Her current job, residence, relationship status, and personal net worth are not reliably confirmed.

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