What Dawn Staley said about ‘Uncommon Favor’ book, her love for Philly and more
Dawn Staley’s been busy since the May 20 release of new book, titled “Uncommon Favor: Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three.”
The Gamecocks’ head coach has hit the road to promote the book, stopping in New York City, where she made several TV appearances, and in her hometown of Philadelphia.
On Thursday night, the book tour came to Columbia. Staley sat down for a moderated discussion with Judge J. Michelle Childs at the R2i2 Conference Center in front of about 1,000 people to discuss her book.
The memoir recounts Staley’s journey from growing up in the Philadelphia projects to a career in basketball that saw her become a three-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time WNBA All-Star, three-time NCAA champion at South Carolina and all the lessons she learned along the way.
Here’s a bit of what Staley said to the crowd in attendance:
About writing the book
Staley revealed to those in attendance Thursday night that her book has been in the works for a few years.
She joked back in February that several people had been nagging her to write a book. Based on her comments Thursday, it seems like radio host and South Carolina native Charlamagne tha God pushed her the most.
“When we won the championship in 2022 I went on ‘The Breakfast Club’ show with Charlamagne,” Staley said. “Charlemagne after the show he was like, ‘You should write a book.’ Now, I’ve heard like a lot over the past 20 years, ‘You should write a book! You should write a book!” but Charlemagne just kept at it. He was very persistent throughout the years. ... Then when we won, I was like, this is it. This is the sign that you need to write this book and get it out and share this journey with people.”
It’s hard to imagine Staley having much free time in her packed schedule to be able to sit down and write a book, but she said it was easy because of the subject matter. She also had some help from her older sister Tracey.
“It’s really just my life, it’s really easy,” Staley said. “Some of the harder parts of writing this book was just remembering what my childhood was like. But my sister’s got a steel trap up there. She’s the talker of the family. ... She remembers everything, like, incredibly, like, everything.”
Why Uncommon for Staley?
Staley admitted she wasn’t an expert when it comes to writing books and wrestled with what to title her memoir.
The phrase “Uncommon” was South Carolina women’s basketball team’s theme this past season, as Staley said. It originated from a postgame interview comment Staley made to ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the Gamecocks beat Iowa in the 2024 national championship game.
“It was just so fitting,” Staley said. “Our theme last year when we won the national championship, undefeatedly, was ‘Uncommon.’ Someone asked me a question, it might have been one of the journalists who asked me, ‘What does this championship mean to me?’ And I immediately, from my heart, said, ‘It is God’s uncommon favor.’ ”
The phrase means more to Staley than just basketball and ultimately landed on the cover of her book.
“I could never get off of the word uncommon,” Staley said. “Uncommon was going to be in the title. And then you put those two words that I use to describe my life. The Lord has been incredibly giving. My cup runneth over when it comes to the success that I have. Those two words describe exactly what has happened for me, from when I was a young child to now and it continues.”
What led her to South Carolina
By now Gamecocks fans are probably familiar with the story of how Staley got to South Carolina, especially if they’ve read her book, but it’s always a fun tale to hear.
Staley spent her first eight years in coaching in her hometown of Philadelphia as the head coach at Temple. There she compiled a 172-80 record and won the A-10 conference tournament four times with the Owls. Temple became a regular in the NCAA Tournament under Staley but could never make it past the second round.
“I felt like leaving Temple University, where I thought we took them as far as we could take them,” Staley said. “We kept losing in the first and second round. We used to get out-talented, because we never got outworked.”
But just making the NCAA Tournament wasn’t enough for Staley. She wanted a chance at a national title, and that led her to South Carolina.
“I felt like coming to South Carolina, we could probably recruit a little bit differently,” she said. “It was in a great conference in which you’ll be able to hone your coaching skills against some of legendary coaches like Pat Summitt and Andy Landers and Melanie Balcomb. Those were the coaches at the top of the SEC. So either it was going to be professional suicide to come here or you’re going to utilize all the resources that we have here in South Carolina.”
Three national championships later, it’s safe to say the move paid off.
Staley’s love for her hometown
A lot of Staley’s book focuses on the lessons she learned while being raised in the Raymond Rosen housing projects in Philadelphia.
Staley has never been one to shy away from showing love for her hometown. She wears her love for Philadelphia on her sleeve and it’s a core piece of her memoir. Staley emphasized the pride she has in being a Philly native, unabashedly, on Thursday night.
“No matter where I go, Philly is a part of who I am,” Staley said. “Like I will never forget where I come from, because where I come from, I’m rooted. I absolutely enjoy where I grew up, in the projects. In the projects, if you’re on the outside looking in, you will probably only see poverty. You will only see crime-infested, you will only see all the negative things that you perceive. ... I just feel like I learned so many life lessons that allowed me when I left the projects and went to college, I was prepared for anything.”
At one point, Staley joked she’s been in a relationship with basketball for most of her life. But it’s that relationship, she said, that helped her reach beyond the projects.
“Some that live in the projects, you almost are afraid to step out there because you don’t know,” Staley said. “I was forced a little bit to do it because I love the game, and I was in search of being the best I have to be in basketball. And if it took me outside of my neighborhood I was going. If it took me outside my state i was going. If it took me out the country I was going.”
