{"id":569151,"date":"2026-04-07T04:39:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T04:39:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/569151\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T04:39:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T04:39:19","slug":"everything-to-know-about-dawn-staley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/569151\/","title":{"rendered":"EVerything to KNow about Dawn Staley"},"content":{"rendered":"

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA \u2013 MARCH 30: Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates after defeating the TCU Horned Frogs 78-52 in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Women\u2019s Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Harry How\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The world rallied behind former WNBA player and Olympic basketball coach Dawn Staley after last week\u2019s win against UConn Huskies\u2019 coach Geno Auriemma took a foul turn. As we previously told you,<\/a> Staley held her own amid the verbal attack from the fellow head coach, but this incident\u2013 like many in Staley\u2019s career up until this point\u2013 is proof of her own tenacity.<\/p>\n

From losing both of her parents to suffering her own personal tragedies on and off the court, it\u2019s time we get to know more about Staley. Here\u2019s your reintroduction!<\/p>\n

Meet the Staleys<\/p>\n

\"\"UNITED STATES \u2013 JULY 25: BASKETBALL: Frauen USA \u2013 ZAI 107:47 25.07.96, Dawn STALEY\/ USA (Photo by Henri Szwarc\/Bongarts\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Staley was born to Clarence and Estelle Staley in Philadelphia, but she traces her roots back to South Carolina, where the Jim Crow south impacted all Black Americans. As Staley wrote in a 2018 essay for\u00a0The Players\u2019 Tribune<\/a>, her family fled South Carolina for a chance to live without the tense and often violence of Jim Crow. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis was the 1940s and early \u201950s. Segregation was still legal. Separate bathrooms. All of it,\u201d Staley said. \u201cShe left the South at the age of 13, seeking equality and opportunity. I think about her a lot, especially since she passed away almost two years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

Estelle\u2019s obituary<\/a> revealed she returned to South Carolina after her daughter was named the head coach for University of South Carolina\u2019s women\u2019s basketball team\u2026 But we\u2019ll get to that a little later.<\/p>\n

The Youngest of Five<\/p>\n

\"\"HOUSTON \u2013 MAY 1: Dawn Staley of the Houston Comets poses during media day May 1, 2006 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2006 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist\/NBAE via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Her parents got married in 1967, just three years before Staley was born on May 4, 1970. As the youngest of five siblings, Staley was raised in a three-bedroom, single-bath row house in the housing projects of North Philly. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe grew up in poverty,\u201d Staley wrote in The Players\u2019 Tribune. \u201cMy mom was a domestic worker. She cleaned houses and buildings. That was her only real employment option.\u201d She went on the say her mother was the disciplinarian of the household. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy humble beginnings of being a rules-follower growing up under my mother\u2019s roof is the very thing that guides me,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Joining Basketball<\/p>\n

\"\"UNITED STATES \u2013 JULY 26: New York Liberty forward Crystal Robinson tries to pass the ball around traffic during first half of WNBA basketball action against the Charlotte Sting at Madison Square Garden. Defending at far left is Sting guard Dawn Staley. Blocking in center is Stings\u2019 Charlotte Smith. (Photo by Jon Naso\/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

With her mother\u2019s support, Staley knew she\u2019d had a long career playing basketball. \u201cI was very calculating early in life, I wanted to be an Olympian and I wanted to be a national champion,\u201d she said. \u201cI started at 17 when I saw women competing on those levels. Then I figured out how to achieve it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eventually, this passion led Staley to play for the University of Virginia from 1988 to 1992. After graduation, the athlete began her professional career playing in the American Basketball League (ABL). But in 1999, she\u2019d be drafted by the Charlotte Sting 9th overall, launching her career in the WNBA.<\/p>\n

A Taste at Coaching<\/p>\n

\"\"A-10 Commissioner Linda Bruno (Blue) and the Temple Womens Basketball Team present the USA Basketball \u201cWomen Athlete of the Year\u201d award to Temple Head Coach Dawn Staley after a Temple Owls 59 to 43 victory over the University of Massachusetts Minutewomen at the Liacouras Ctr in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 4, 2005 (Photo by Joseph Labolito\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Staley accepted the position of head women\u2019s basketball coach at Temple University in 2000 while also playing for the Charlotte Sting.\u00a0She spent eight years as coach while also becoming a five-time WNBA All-Star. This is all on top of helping Temple make six NCAA Tournament appearances.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How Much Did She Make?<\/p>\n

\"\"KINGSTON, RI \u2013 JANUARY 06: Temple Owls head coach Dawn Staley looks on during a timeout in a women\u2019s college basketball game between the Temple Owls and the Rhode Island Rams on January 6, 2002, at the Thomas M. Ryan Center in Kingston, RI. (Photo by Joseph Denhoff\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

You may be confused about why a talented point guard like Staley would have to work as both a professional player and a college coach. But while Staley hasn\u2019t given the public much insight into why she chose the double gigs, if you look at the average salary for WNBA players of the time, things might make a little more sense. <\/p>\n

The average salary for a WNBA player in 1999 was about $50,000, the New York Times reported.<\/a> Compare that to NBA salaries of the same time, $2.4 million and up <\/a>usually, and you\u2019ll find the discrepancies alarming. Fast forward to 2026, and WNBA players are still fighting for proper pay.<\/p>\n

Olympic Medalist<\/p>\n

\"\"SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA \u2013 2000: Dawn Staley of the United States Women\u2019s National team poses for a photo after winning the gold medals during the 2000 Summer Olympics in September of 2000 in Sydney, Australia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2000 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein\/NBAE via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Staley was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. In the first year, she secured a gold medal. Then, she did it again in the Sydney 2000 Games and the Athens 2004 Games, according to the official website<\/a>. Interestingly enough, Staley became the first American basketball Olympic flag bearer during her final Games as an athlete. Staley later won gold as the head coach of the U.S. women\u2019s team in 2021.<\/p>\n

Staley\u2019s Retirement<\/p>\n

\"\"HOUSTON \u2013 AUGUST 12: Dawn Staley #5 of the Houston Comets speaks to the crowd at a post game retirement celebration on August 12, 2006 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2006 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist\/NBAE via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

After her 2006 WNBA season in Houston, Staley officially retired. The then-35-year-old played a long career but never won a national championship as a player. <\/p>\n

Returning to South Carolina<\/p>\n

\"\"INDIANAPOLIS \u2013 JUNE 24: WNBA President Donna Orender (L) and WNBA legend Dawn Staley (R) present Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever with the \u201cDawn Staley Community Leadership Award\u201d for 2007 at Conseco Fieldhouse on June 24, 2008 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The award is in recognition of Catchings outstanding work in the Indianapolis community with her \u201cCatch the Stars Foundation.\u201d NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins\/NBAE via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Decades after her parents were forced out of their native South Carolina, Staley returned to the southern state as head coach in 2008, according to the USC website.<\/a> But what\u2019s bigger than just returning to the south, Staley wrote her new career path was to honor her parents while pushing the Black community forward. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe left South Carolina because of the racial divide,\u201d Staley said referring to her mother. \u201cI came back with a hope to bridge it. I also know what me coaching here symbolizes in light of history. When I walk around different neighborhoods in this city, I\u2019ll hear Black people say, \u2018I had never been on that campus before coming to your game.\u2019 I understand that my success isn\u2019t about championships \u2014 it\u2019s about bringing together people who were once, and in some ways still are, divided. It\u2019s bigger than basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check the Records<\/p>\n

\"\"GREENSBORO, NC \u2013 MARCH 27: Head Coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks receives the Greensboro Regional Championship trophy after the NCAA Division I Womens Basketball Championship elite eight round game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Creighton Bluejays on March 27, 2022, at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC.(Photo by David Jensen\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Pressure was on Staley to live up to her reputation as both a coach and an athlete. After joining the Gamecocks, however, it was clear that Staley was there to stay and that the team needed her. Her team secured three NCAA National <\/a>Championships in 2017, 2022 and most recently in 2024\u2013 with an 38-0 record, we must add. <\/p>\n

Scary Health Diagnosis<\/p>\n

\"\"PHOENIX, ARIZONA \u2013 APRIL 05: Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks looks on during the second quarter against the UCLA Bruins in the National Championship of the NCAA Women\u2019s Basketball Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 05, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Staley is known for being just as active as the women she coaches. That often means running miles with them, conditioning workouts and sharing stressful moments of any basketball game. In 2017, however, Staley revealed she\u2019d been hit with a harsh reality after she was diagnosed with\u00a0pericarditis, a painful inflammation of heart\u2019s outer lining. According to GQ, the pain nearly crippled her. <\/p>\n

\u201cAfter experiencing pericarditis for 2 and a half years now, I know a lot of times it flares up because of my job and stress levels and how active I am,\u201d Staley said after silently battling her heart condition.\u201cI\u2019m used to fending for myself. As an athlete, you get injured and you think you can fight through it. You know that your body can heal itself,\u201d she added. \u201cBut pericarditis is different. You can\u2019t will yourself to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Championship Turned Tragic<\/p>\n

\"\"SACRAMENTO, CA \u2013 MARCH 27: Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks answers questions during a press conference for the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women\u2019s Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 27, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Supriya Limaye\/ISI Photos\/ISI Photos via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Those unfamiliar with Staley\u2019s coaching certainly become aware in 2017 after the head coach led the Gamecocks to a national championship. Five months after the historic win, Staley would suffer a loss. Her mother, Estelle, died after developing Alzheimer\u2019s. <\/p>\n

Brother Dies From COVID<\/p>\n

\"\"TOKYO, JAPAN August 4: Dawn Staley, head coach of Team United States during the USA V Australia quarter final match in the basketball competition for women at the Saitama Super Arena during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games on August 4, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Tim Clayton\/Corbis via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

COVID-19 hit a personal note for Staley after her brother Anthony was diagnosed during the height of the pandemic. According to an interview she did with GQ,<\/a> Anthony eventually went to the hospital for an incessant cough. That\u2019s when doctor told him he could return to work. One week later, Anthony had a stroke. <\/p>\n

Though he survived the stroke, Staley told the outlet he was never going to be the same. \u201cEven if he recovered, he would have been in a state that he wouldn\u2019t want to be in,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Sister Diagnosed with Leukemia<\/p>\n

\"\"PHOENIX, ARIZONA \u2013 APRIL 04: Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks looks on during the Super Saturday open practice ahead of the 2026 NCAA Women\u2019s Basketball Tournament Final Four championship game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 04, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Sarah Stier\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Back in 2020, another tragedy would rock the Staley family. Her older sister, Tracey Underwood, was diagnosed with Leukemia as the rest of the world continued to deal with a global pandemic, the Associated Press reported.<\/a><\/p>\n

Staley acted quickly, calling on members of her family and the public to spread awareness and support her sister. In the end, Staley footed most of Underwood\u2019s medical costs. As of now, Underwood is alive and healthy. Staley said she never doubted her sister would \u201cbe in the position she\u2019s in today because of her spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Straight From \"The<\/p>\n

Sign up for our free daily newsletter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA \u2013 MARCH 30: Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates after defeating the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":569152,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-569151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=569151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/569151\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/569152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=569151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=569151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=569151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}