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Dawn Staley is now the highest-paid women's basketball coach
- Volume 82 Magazine
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 15
Dawn Staley, the head women's basketball coach at the University of South Carolina, has become the highest-paid coach in women's basketball.
Her contract was reportedly renegotiated this season and, as noted by Heavy, “At the time the extension was signed, it was widely described as the richest contract in women’s college basketball.” Staley’s salary is set to rise by $250,000 each year over the life of the deal. After this year’s $4.25 million total, the contract moves to $4.5 million in 2026-27, $4.75 million in 2027-28, $5 million in 2028-29, and $5.25 million in 2029-30.”
Since Staley took over the team in 2008, South Carolina has won three NCAA championship titles and made eight appearances in the Final Four. After losing to UConn in the finals last year, the Gamecocks defeated UConn this season to advance to the finals, but they were ultimately defeated by UCLA, which claimed its first NCAA title this season.
Basketball has been Staley’s baby for many seasons. Her current success follows her tenure as the head coach of Temple University’s women’s team from 2000 to 2008. At Temple, the former college point guard led the team to a 151-67 record and secured four Atlantic 10 Tournament Titles from 2002 to 2006.
The Philadelphia native also coached the USA women’s Olympic team to a gold medal in 2021 and was an assistant coach for the 2016 Olympic team that won gold in Rio de Janeiro.
As an Olympian, Staley earned three gold medals in basketball in 1996, 2000, and 2004. She was a standout college player at the University of Virginia, where she won consecutive Naismith Awards and led her team to three consecutive Final Fours and the 1991 NCAA title game. She ended her NCAA career as the school’s all-time leader in points, assists, and steals.
Staley was among the early prominent faces in the WNBA, alongside players such as Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, and Rebecca Lobo, earning various honors throughout her career.
After winning the 2024 NCAA championship game, Staley attributed her victory to God showing her "uncommon favor." The following year, she released her memoir titled Uncommon Favor.
Despite the recent upset in this year's finals, Staley graciously praised UCLA for their win, saying, "I'm always happy for people that worked hard in this game, who are really quality people.” Staley continued, “I want good things to happen for them.
Nevertheless, Staley has also had to defend her team during her career. This season she had a very heated exchange with UConn’s coach, Geno Auriemma, after he confronted her on the sideline when the GameCocks defeated UConn in the semi-finals. In 2023, the University of Iowa’s coach, Lisa Bluder, compared rebounding against South Carolina to a "bar fight," which generated significant media attention. In response, Staley stated, "We're not bar fighters, we're not thugs, we're not monkeys. We're not street fighters!"
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