“I signed for $35,000”: When $12 million worth Dawn Staley shared how she “persevered” for her big break in US women’s basketball

The road to riches wasn't easy for Dawn Staley. The South Carolina coach opened up about the difficulties she encountered while searching for a job after college in an interview with ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath, which premiered on the magazine's YouTube channel on Aug. 13, 2024.

McGrath asked Staley how she handled her job hunt experience following her college stint with the Virginia Cavaliers. Staley won back-to-back Naismith College Player of the Year awards in her final two seasons with Virginia, but those accolades weren't enough to get her a job in professional basketball right after her college career ended in 1992.

"I think with women, we’ve persevered all our lives," Staley said (Timestamp 4:06). "Like I knew at the end of my college career, that will be it as far as playing in the States. So what did I do? I got an agent and I had to wait a few months."

The reason why Dawn Staley wasn't able to get a job quickly in the professional ranks was because of teams opting for bigger guards. There was limited demand for short guards, meaning Staley had to wait to replace somebody with similar stature, which she said happened around two months after the season started.

"I replaced somebody and that’s how it was. I signed for $35,000," Staley said (Timestamp 4:42). "It was my first contract and I happily took the offer and played another two years before I was able to just play Olympic basketball."

"And then from there, the WNBA and some other leagues got started. The ABL got started and we've never looked back since."

Dawn Staley's WNBA career

Dawn Staley, who has a net worth of $12 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, started playing in the WNBA in 1999 after she was selected ninth overall by the Charlotte Sting in the draft. She averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 assists in her first season with the Sting, leading Charlotte to the Eastern Conference Finals where they lost to the New York Liberty in three games.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley directs her team against Charleston Southern in the second half of their NCAA basketball game at Colonial Life Arena. Photo: Imagn

Charlotte missed the playoffs in the 2000 season after finishing with an 8-24 record. The Sting bounced back in 2001, reaching the WNBA Finals for the first time in their franchise history. Staley averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 assists in the championship series, which ended 2-0 in favor of the Los Angeles Sparks.

Staley played with the Sting until 2005, when she was traded in the middle of the season to the Houston Comets. She finished her WNBA career in 2006, averaging 7.4 points and 3.9 assists through 34 games for the Comets.