South Carolina coach Dawn Staley congratulated Chelsea FC forward Samatha Kerr after the Australian signed a two-year contract extension. She was previously rumored to leave Stamford Bridge after her five-year contract was over with the London club.
In a post on Instagram, Coach Staley was seen wearing Kerr's jersey, and she wrote:
"congrats on resigning with Chelsea! I wear your jersey proudly because you are the WOMAN! Keep being the best version of you….one of one!"
After trading fans with a video saying she was leaving, Samatha Kerr revealed the news in an updated decision with a statement:
“It’s really exciting and a very proud moment for me. Having the opportunity to stay at a club like Chelsea means a lot to me. I’m really excited to continue to push and to try to win trophies.”
Dawn Staley has been vocal about her support for other sports. Right after winning her third NCAA Division title, Staley, along with Las Vegas Aces and former Gamecocks star A'ja Wilson, attended the PSG vs Barcelona Champions League game in Paris. Later, she attended the Philadelphia 76ers NBA playoff games series against the New York Knicks.
One scroll through her Instagram proves her support for other sports, including the Philadelphia Phillies, other South Carolina sports teams, and her favorite, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Dawn Staley reveals coaching was never in her career plans
Dawn Staley made an appearance on NBA Unplugged with Kevin Hart during Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics. There, she revealed that being a coach was not something she wanted to do while still playing in the WNBA.
"What really got me into coaching was not wanting to be a coach," Staley said. "It's weird, but I didn't ever want to be a coach ... Dave O'Brien the athletic director at Temple (University) challenged me to turn the Temple women's basketball program around and I'd never been challenged (before) in that way."
"So you know, if you challenge a North Philadelphian, we are going to prove you wrong," Staley said.
Dawn Staley took over as the head coach of the Temple Owls in 2000 while she was active with the Charlotte Sting. She continued to coach even after the move to the Houston Comets in 2005. However, after a year with the team, Dawn Staley left the WNBA to take up full-time coaching.
In 2008, Staley signed with the South Carolina Gamecocks who she led to three NCAA titles, becoming the only Black coach in NCAA Division I history to do so.
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