"Coach Staley has become like my second mom" - A'ja Wilson once credited Dawn Staley's tough love to help her post-dyslexia diagnosis

A'ja Wilson's career is one of the most impressive in women’s basketball, with two WNBA championships, three MVP awards and two Olympic gold medals under her belt. However, her journey began with challenges, including a learning disability that she overcame with the help of USC Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley.

Before being selected first by the Las Vegas Aces in the 2018 WNBA draft, Wilson shared a heartfelt essay on The Players’ Tribune, a platform for athletes to share their stories, where she expressed gratitude to Staley for her impact on her college career.

In the essay, A'ja Wilson revealed how Staley helped her manage her dyslexia, which had made her childhood difficult. Dyslexia is a learning disorder that causes difficulty reading due to issues with decoding speech sounds and linking them to letters and words, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“Over the years, Coach Staley has become like my second mom,” Wilson wrote. “And she has helped me with so much on the basketball court that I don’t think I ever directly told her how important she has been in helping me deal with the things that aren’t related to basketball. Especially with dyslexia.”

Wilson recalled how, during her sophomore year, Staley encouraged her to start reading scripture in the locker room before games. The former USC player said that although it was initially terrifying, doing something that pushed her outside her comfort zone made her more confident.

“I don’t know what exactly made everything different after that, but reading like that in front of the team, and being pushed by Coach Staley to do something that she knew made me uncomfortable … I’m serious when I say that everything changed after that reading started,” Wilson said.

“It was definitely humiliating at first, but I kept at it. Just straight brute force, every time she asked. I don’t know if she thought it would help, or if it would make me play better, or what. But after a while, it really would make me feel better.”

A'ja Wilson has a foundation dedicated to people with dyslexia

In 2019, A'ja Wilson founded the A'ja Wilson Foundation, which aims to help children struggling with dyslexia and bullying.

According to its website, the foundation provides programs and resources to assist children and works to raise awareness about bullying and its negative effects. It also supports parents, educators and communities in addressing these issues.

In her essay, Wilson shared how her dyslexia also influenced her on the court.

“In the huddle during a game, when we’re drawing up a play, I’ll have to lock in and focus as hard as I can, because it can get difficult to keep the information in order. It’s something that will always be there in the back of my mind. My only real options are to shy away from it, or, you know … brute force the problem,” she wrote.

But as she matured, partly thanks to Staley’s guidance, she realized that dyslexia was not something that defined her.

“I’ve had to deal with physical injuries, personal loss, vertigo. I’ve struggled with things, and I’ve experienced amazing successes. In a way, dyslexia seems like such a small problem now compared to what it felt like back in high school. It’s crazy how time can change your perspective,” she wrote.

Since entering the WNBA, A'ja Wilson has set several records, including the single-season scoring record in 2024.