When Dawn Staley and Lisa Leslie reasoned how 1996 Olympics was a turning point for women’s basketball

Dawn Staley and Lisa Leslie were teammates on the U.S. women's basketball team at the 1996 Olympics, winning the gold medal after going 8-0 in Atlanta, Georgia. Their performance in the Olympics marked a turning point for the sport.

Staley had Leslie on for the first episode of the "NETLIFE with Dawn Staley" podcast that was uploaded to YouTube in January 2022.

One section involved their time together in the 1996 Olympics. Staley said the team's connection and culture played significant roles in garnering support from not just U.S. sports fans but the rest of the world as well.

That Olympic squad was dominant, winning all its games by double-digits. They still hold U.S. Olympic records in scoring average (102.4), total points (819) and assists (207).

"That is why so many people fell in love with women's basketball," Staley said at the 11:00 mark. "It's because they saw the culture, the connection that our 1996 Olympic team had ... I think people really need to understand that it wasn't all just, 'You saw us go out there and dominate our sport.' There was buildup to that. That buildup happened on bus rides, in hotel rooms."

Dawn Staley, Lisa Leslie looks back on '96 Olympics

The 1996 Olympics was unforgettable for Dawn Staley and Lisa Leslie. Their success in the women's basketball tournament was monumental.

"We didn't really have television," Staley said at 7:07. "We didn't really have all the luxuries of what some of these young players out here have. They had a carrot dangle in front of them with the WNBA and we just had the Olympics."

Leslie responded, saying:

"Our passion was there in our heart and our fight that, no matter which generation you look at, we're right up there at the top," she said at the 9:30 mark.

This season, Dawn Staley has No. 2 South Carolina boasting a 14-1 record so far, preparing for their next matchup in conference play. They will host Texas A&M at Colonial Life Arena on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET.