The world rallied behind former WNBA player and Olympic basketball coach Dawn Staley after last week’s win against UConn Huskies’ coach Geno Auriemma took a foul turn. As we previously told you, Staley held her own amid the verbal attack from the fellow head coach, but this incident– like many in Staley’s career up until this point– is proof of her own tenacity.
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From losing both of her parents to suffering her own personal tragedies on and off the court, it’s time we get to know more about Staley. Here’s your reintroduction!
Meet the Staleys
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 The Players’ Tribune, her family fled South Carolina for a chance to live without the tense and often violence of Jim Crow.
“This was the 1940s and early ’50s. Segregation was still legal. Separate bathrooms. All of it,” Staley said. “She 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.”
Estelle’s obituary revealed she returned to South Carolina after her daughter was named the head coach for University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team… But we’ll get to that a little later.
The Youngest of Five
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.
“We grew up in poverty,” Staley wrote in The Players’ Tribune. “My mom was a domestic worker. She cleaned houses and buildings. That was her only real employment option.” She went on the say her mother was the disciplinarian of the household.
“My humble beginnings of being a rules-follower growing up under my mother’s roof is the very thing that guides me,” she said.
Joining Basketball
With her mother’s support, Staley knew she’d had a long career playing basketball. “I was very calculating early in life, I wanted to be an Olympian and I wanted to be a national champion,” she said. “I started at 17 when I saw women competing on those levels. Then I figured out how to achieve it.”
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’d be drafted by the Charlotte Sting 9th overall, launching her career in the WNBA.
A Taste at Coaching
Staley accepted the position of head women’s basketball coach at Temple University in 2000 while also playing for the Charlotte Sting. She 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.
How Much Did She Make?
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’t 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.
The average salary for a WNBA player in 1999 was about $50,000, the New York Times reported. Compare that to NBA salaries of the same time, $2.4 million and up usually, and you’ll find the discrepancies alarming. Fast forward to 2026, and WNBA players are still fighting for proper pay.
Olympic Medalist
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. 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’s team in 2021.
Staley’s Retirement
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.
Returning to South Carolina
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. But what’s bigger than just returning to the south, Staley wrote her new career path was to honor her parents while pushing the Black community forward.
“She left South Carolina because of the racial divide,” Staley said referring to her mother. “I 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’ll hear Black people say, ‘I had never been on that campus before coming to your game.’ I understand that my success isn’t about championships — it’s about bringing together people who were once, and in some ways still are, divided. It’s bigger than basketball.”
Check the Records
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 Championships in 2017, 2022 and most recently in 2024– with an 38-0 record, we must add.
Scary Health Diagnosis
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’d been hit with a harsh reality after she was diagnosed with pericarditis, a painful inflammation of heart’s outer lining. According to GQ, the pain nearly crippled her.
“After 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,” Staley said after silently battling her heart condition.“I’m 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,” she added. “But pericarditis is different. You can’t will yourself to get better.”
Championship Turned Tragic
Those unfamiliar with Staley’s 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’s.
Brother Dies From COVID
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, Anthony eventually went to the hospital for an incessant cough. That’s when doctor told him he could return to work. One week later, Anthony had a stroke.
Though he survived the stroke, Staley told the outlet he was never going to be the same. “Even if he recovered, he would have been in a state that he wouldn’t want to be in,” she said.
Sister Diagnosed with Leukemia
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.
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’s medical costs. As of now, Underwood is alive and healthy. Staley said she never doubted her sister would “be in the position she’s in today because of her spirit.”
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