“I wanted A'ja Wilson to have the only statue”: When Dawn Staley expressed her emotions at being honored by city of Columbia

A statue to honor Dawn Staley's contributions to the surge of South Carolina Gamecocks in women's college basketball was announced by the Columbia mayor's office in February 2023. In June 2024, the statue was brought from Australia, crafted by Sydney and London-based sculptors Gillie and Marc Schattner.

While Staley understood the impact she had on women's basketball over the recent years, she claimed that the news about her statue surprised her. Moreover, in an interview with News 19 WLTX released in March 2024, Staley said she wanted A'ja Wilson to have the only statue with the program.

"I mean, I was really taken aback," Dawn Staley said (3:50). "I wanted A'ja Wilson to have the only statue, I did really. I was living through her, right? Because it's something that doesn't happen very often and it doesn't happen very often to a young person for what my statue would stand for."

"I can stand behind because it is giving women an opportunity to be presented in a way of having a statue because not many men, women are bestowed this honor."

As per UW-La Crosse art professor Sierra Rooney, only 6% of all statues in the United States represent women, making the number even less when considering the statues that depict Black women.

Three-time WNBA MVP and former Gamecocks player A'ja Wilson became the first player with USC's women's basketball program to have a statue. It was installed in January 2021 in front of Colonial Life Arena.

Fans' reactions forced changes in Dawn Staley's statue

When a clay model of the statue was up for public display, there was a backlash from Gamecocks and college hoops fans on social media.

Fans believed that the statue failed to represent Dawn Staley, forcing the artists to tweak some of the features. The mayor's office confirmed their intention to make the changes on March 1.

"Yes, we’re making tweaks to ensure it’s representative of her, and her team’s leading that,” Mayor Daniel Rickenmann's policy advisor Payton Lang said. "But … it is art. And so it’s not going to be identical. But the goal is to make it something that everybody’s proud of, including Coach Staley."

The 11-foot, 1,000-pound structure of the championship coach was set to be delivered by July 2024 and solidified at Main Street later this year. However, there have been no updates on an official statue unveiling ceremony yet.