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Dawn Staley Jokes About South Carolina Players Wanting a Piece of Her Record Contract

South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley had jokes when sharing her players' responses to her historic contract extension.
Grant Young|
Oct 16, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Oct 16, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

On Friday morning, the South Carolina Gamecocks Athletic Department announced that they had signed longtime women's basketball coach Dawn Staley to a contract extension, "that will go through the 2029-30 season and make her the highest paid college women’s basketball coach in the history of the sport."

They also noted that the deal, "starts with an annual salary of $4 million, includes a $500,00 signing bonus and an annual $250,000 escalator, making the total value approximately $25.25 million." This surpasses the $3.2 million annual base salary that LSU Tigers coach Kim Mulkey received in 2023.

There's no question that Staley is well deserving of this, given how she has turned the Gamecocks into three-time NCAA Champions and perennial national championship contenders during her 18 seasons leading South Carolina's program.

Staley has got to be feeling good this Friday afternoon, and she shared a hilarious response when asked about her players' reactions to this news when speaking with the media after her team's practice.

"They asked to borrow a dollar," Staley said of her players with a laugh, per an X post from WACH Fox reporter Jared Parker.

She then added, "I only give them information if they ask for it or if they have a reaction to it. And then I just tell them that there's going to be a time in their lives where they feel like they're doing a job and they're getting paid less.

"And how to handle those instances, it is a fight," Staley continued. "No matter what, it's a fight, it's a fight, it's a fight to explain to people what your worth is."

Staley has been fighting that fight for 18 seasons, and finally secured a win on Friday.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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