South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley is really, really, really good at her job. And with most employers, when you’re good at your job, they lavish you with gratitude, promotions, raises, and the like to keep your morale high so you can continue to perform your job at the best of your ability.
So considering everything that the WNBA legend has accomplished, it should come as absolutely no surprise that she just officially became the one who buys all the drinks (and chicken wings!) at happy hour with her friends.
From USA Today:
The South Carolina Board of Trustees approved a new seven-year, $22.4 million contract for Staley, making her the highest-paid Black coach in women’s basketball. The deal, which will pay her $2.9 million this season, puts her on par with UConn’s Geno Auriemma, the highest-paid coach in women’s basketball. It is an $800,000 raise for Staley, who was set to make $2.1 million this season before her new contract was approved Friday.
For those unfamiliar with her resumé, since joining the Gamecocks in 2008, she’s been to the NCAA tournament nine times, has made an auspicious appearance in three of the last six NCAA Final Fours, and won the NCAA championship in 2017. She also was named the Naismith Coach of the Year in 2020. So yeah, I’d say she deserves every cent of that new contract and you could make the argument that deserves even more.
“Credit where it’s due,” Staley said after buying up all the guac at Chipotle. “This university and this state have a rich history of racism, and I’m not going to disregard that. But this is one of the most progressive decisions they’ve ever made. They need to be recognized for being committed to leading the way in gender equity in America. This is an equitable statement and in the midst of all our inequities in our country, I hope it’s a turning point.”
I couldn’t have said it better. Congrats, Dawn!