“My integrity was stabbed”: When $12 million worth Dawn Staley revealed how she met the man behind her historic South Carolina contract

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley engineered another Southeastern Conference win on Sunday on the second-ranked Gamecocks' home floor, beating the Auburn Tigers 83-66. As part of the day, Las Vegas Aces stalwart A'ja Wilson's No. 22 jersey was retired in a ceremony.

But through all of the success that surrounds Staley, she has been through a lot of adversity in her career to become the renowned individual, on and off the court, she is today.

In February 2022, on an episode of Just Women's Sports' "NETLIFE with Dawn Staley," the coach, who has a $12 million net worth (per Celebrity Net Worth), had National Guardsman Butch Bowers as a guest. She shared how much Bowers has helped her seek out the opportunities she has had, reminiscing on how they first met.

"I met Butch through a really good friend. ...We first met a few years ago when someone defamed me in the media," Staley said (Timestamp: 32:50). "I won't say any names, but that's how we met. I just felt like I needed some great representation because I felt my integrity was stabbed a little bit.

"This friend linked Butch and I up, and basically he's the one that kind of keeps my life straight."

It was South Carolina director of women's basketball operations Angela O'Neal who introduced Staley and Bowers to each other. From there, their partnership blossomed, ultimately landing the former WNBA All-Star's then-seven-year, $22 million contract extension at the helm of the program's coaching staff. Eventually, that contract was bumped up last month to a total value of $25.25 million that will run up to the 2029-2030 campaign.

Through instances like this, it can be seen that Bowers has become more than just a lawyer for Staley for how they have attained success together.

Butch Bowers detailed Dawn Staley's case from his perspective

With how grateful Dawn Staley and Butch Bowers are for Angela O'Neal introducing them to each other, their partnership was aligned from the get-go. Staley was once accused of promoting a hostile and riot-filled atmosphere during a January 2018 game, and Bowers eventually got her to file a lawsuit.

"The athletic director at Missouri alleged that personally, you incited a riot," he said (Timestamp: 33:33). "There was a fight on the court. After the game, he blamed you for the fight.

"I remember watching the game and the after-effects, and I was like, 'That's defamation. You can't say that about somebody without proof.' There's no way in the world that coach Dawn Staley incited a riot.

"We gave them a chance ... an opportunity to apologize. He declined. ...We were both on the same page: We need to file a lawsuit."

The Staley-Bowers camp eventually won the case, reaching a settlement of $50,000. From there, Staley went on to win two more national championships in 2022 and 2024, as she and the current South Carolina Gamecocks are gunning for a repeat in 2025.