{"id":368804,"date":"2025-11-10T08:31:44","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T08:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/368804\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T08:31:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T08:31:44","slug":"dawn-staley-and-aja-wilson-in-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/368804\/","title":{"rendered":"Dawn Staley And A’ja Wilson In Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"

IT\u2019S A SCORCHING 104 DEGREES <\/strong>in the desert just outside Las Vegas. Through the rippling mirage, the mountains in the distance look almost like stadium seats, and the roaring wind could be cheers from adoring fans. At the center of it all, a basketball hoop emerges from the arid, sun-cracked earth, like something plucked straight out of a surrealist painting\u2014and WNBA star A\u2019ja Wilson and legendary coach Dawn Staley are draining free throws.<\/p>\n

\"womens<\/p>\n

Every time A\u2019ja dribbles, sand bursts from beneath the ball, stalling its momentum. Still, she manages to look as skillful and effortless as she does on the court. For the sake of the photo, Dawn mimes as if she\u2019s blocking her former player and forever mentee, her signature stack of bracelets dancing up and down her arm as she does so. The moment the cameras cut, the two fall into fits of laughter. \u201cGet out of here!\u201d A\u2019ja jokes.<\/p>\n

Their smiles and energy are so magnetic, they become the focal point of the entire expansive desert. As they sip on water, Dawn teases A\u2019ja that she doesn\u2019t have to take it easy on her out here. Their dynamic is akin to that of close friends, or even a niece and her cool, accomplished aunt. In fact, A\u2019ja says that \u201cCoach has always been just like my second mom.\u201d <\/p>\n

As they return to set, they pose side by side, an apple box positioned for Dawn to stand on\u2014offering a way to bridge their significant height difference. (Coach is 5’6″; A\u2019ja clocks in at 6’4″.) \u201cAre y\u2019all short-shaming me?\u201d Dawn laughs, before admitting she actually likes her newfound stature. \u201cAt this height, I would have stayed and played!\u201d
<\/p>\n

Dawn is referring, of course, to her many years as a basketball player\u2014first as a college star at the University of Virginia from 1989 to 1992 (where she led the team to three consecutive Final Fours), and then as a WNBA star from 1999 to 2006 (where she was named an All-Star six times). As a player, she also won three Olympic gold medals. And that\u2019s just the beginning of her long list of accomplishments.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

At Temple University, in her debut as head coach, she led the women\u2019s basketball team to a 172\u201380 record\u2014which marked more wins than any other coach in the team\u2019s history. After stepping into the same role at the University of South Carolina in 2008, she led the Gamecocks to three NCAA championships (2017, 2022, 2024) and seven Final Fours. She also ushered a total of 18 South Carolina players to the WNBA draft\u2014including A\u2019ja Wilson.
<\/p>\n

A\u2019ja, who played at Carolina from 2014 to 2018 under Dawn\u2019s steady guidance, was integral to the team winning its first national championship in 2017. A year later, she was drafted first overall by the Las Vegas Aces and has gone on to win the WNBA MVP a record-breaking four times<\/a>. She helped lead the team to a 2022 championship (its first title in franchise history), then, remarkably, did it again in 2023. A\u2019ja has also earned two Olympic gold medals, she launched her own shoe with Nike this year (the A\u2019One<\/a>), and, most recently, she is set to be inducted into the University of South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame.
<\/p>\n

Individually, A\u2019ja and Dawn are undeniable legends\u2014but together, they are truly greater, more powerful. Their impressive interconnectedness proves that a great coach also needs a star athlete to push them to their highest potential and help them become a bona fide icon. <\/p>\n

And, as it turns out, their coach-athlete origin story goes back even further than their days at South Carolina. It involves a long and rich relationship that persists to this day\u2014one that has carried them into the starring roles they each play now.
<\/p>\n

\"dawnBrian Lowe<\/p>\n

Cos<\/strong> top, Cinq \u00e0 Sept <\/strong>pants.<\/p>\n

\"lineWe\u2019ll let them tell you all about it.\u2026<\/p>\n

A\u2019ja Wilson:<\/strong> You know, I wasn\u2019t always the best at basketball. I actually didn\u2019t like basketball at all. Then Coach Staley came around. It started when I went to a basketball camp in South Carolina. How long were you coaching at that point? <\/p>\n

Dawn Staley:<\/strong> You came the first year. <\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Back then, I didn\u2019t know Coach Staley as the GOAT that she is. So I go to her camp, and I\u2019m like, I really don\u2019t want to be here\u2014but I\u2019m here, so let\u2019s get with it. They put me with the bad kids, and it was like daycare. Then I got my certificate, and I was like, okay, cool\u2014thanks, girl. See you later. <\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> She forgot a step. The first step was when I first got to Jackson, South Carolina, I would see her dad, Roscoe, who knew everybody. Roscoe was telling me about A\u2019ja like she was the next best thing since sliced bread. So, I wanted to believe that this was all true\u2014but it could not have been further from the truth. When she came to camp\u2026I\u2019m serious, there are probably still cracks in the backboard from her shots.<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> I was there for vibes and vibes only. That was it. But then, I started to get good, and Coach was recruiting me. She saw the potential in me, and that\u2019s how it started. We began to create a bond.<\/p>\n

\"ajaBrian Lowe<\/p>\n

Nike<\/strong> sports bra, leggings, socks, and sneakers.<\/p>\n

\"lineOn Their Coach-and-Player Relationship<\/strong><\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> It was an incredible transformation, from her being in that gym at camp to when she actually came to [the University of] South Carolina. I really didn\u2019t know how good she was, because her AAU [Amateur Athletic Union] team didn\u2019t play in the big circuit. So she was always playing basically subpar competitions. And then I saw her play in one tournament\u2014it was the Disney tournament, remember? That\u2019s when I knew. <\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Yeahhhh.<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> Then with her coming to South Carolina, she found herself. I think her game spoke for itself, but when you find yourself\u2014your confidence, what you\u2019re good at, your voice\u2014that really elevates your play, because you know who you are.<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Coach Staley just took the job of my parents. God bless her, because I know that I was a lot. She was someone who always believed in me, but also allowed me to grow. She allowed me to fail, she allowed me to lose and cry\u2014she also allowed me to be happy and actually live. And I think that type of balance is what I needed in college, because college is four years of figuring yourself out. And if I absolutely needed help, I knew I could go to her. There was unconditional love, and that\u2019s what I needed. She also gave us players her trust, and we didn\u2019t want to mess that up. And the character that she instilled in all of us\u2026it goes on forever, and you see it now that we\u2019re in the pros. <\/p>\n

\n

“She saw the potential in me, and that’s how it started. We began to create a bond.” \u2014A’ja, on Coach Dawn<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

D:<\/strong> That really comes down to great parenting, though. She\u2019s got great parents, disciplined and balanced. A\u2019ja probably didn\u2019t even realize how many conversations me and her mom, Eva, had over the years. Sometimes I\u2019d give Eva a heads-up, like, hey, she\u2019s probably going to call you because she\u2019s upset with me about holding her to her daily standard, on and off the court. <\/p>\n

In that time, I think I started to get really good at discerning what people need in their life. And I\u2019m unafraid to say what needs to happen. You can listen or not listen. I\u2019m still gonna be there. As a coach, we gotta make sure we can meet players where they are, so we can take them where they need to go in order to reach their goals. I\u2019m with you, the long road or the short road.<\/p>\n

\"saitama,Kevin C. Cox\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something that\u2019s been planted and watered for a long time, by the Dawn Staleys of the world\u2014they helped build this,” says A\u2019ja, of basketball\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n

\"lineOn Handling Disagreements<\/strong><\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> A\u2019ja was always the focal point of our team, and sometimes she just blended. I call it \u201cblending\u201d when you\u2019re playing to the level of people who don\u2019t have your talent or skill set, and she\u2019s not a player that should blend on anybody\u2019s sport at any time. One day, she was blending, so I kindly told her\u2026<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Kindly?!<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> I told her to go on the sideline and stay there for the rest of practice. Other coaches were trying to convince me to get her back in the practice. But I said no. You want to blend? Go ahead and blend. You want to be average? That\u2019s where average people stay. <\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> We\u2019re both petty, so I was like, well, you\u2019re not about to press my buttons! I\u2019m good with being average! I\u2019m okay! I\u2019m fine! So, yeah, I don\u2019t know if you kindly said stand over there\u2026I think you said GO over there. But yeah, I didn\u2019t like that disagreement, although it taught me a lesson. I didn\u2019t like the fact that she won\u2026but I was like, oh, she\u2019s right, I shouldn\u2019t be average. <\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> Remember the time you overslept for shootaround?<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Oh my gosh, yes.<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> Didn\u2019t we take your phones that night?<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Yes, you took our phones. <\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> We took their phones the night before a game so they could get proper rest. And she was late that morning\u2014and she had never been late. <\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> I didn\u2019t have my phone with my alarm on it, so I just had this little iPad that was faintly making noise. I turned over and I was like, \u201cOh my god! Shootaround!\u201d<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> No, we came and got you. <\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Yeah, CJ came and was, like, beating on my door, and I looked up and I was like, \u201cOh my god.\u201d Then I opened that door and I just started crying.<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> You were coming into the gym crying. <\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Crying!<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> But here\u2019s the thing: It\u2019s A\u2019ja, right? Yeah, it\u2019s a game day, so her teammates are looking at her like, \u201cOh, she\u2019s late. What are you gonna do? When we\u2019re late, we don\u2019t start. When we\u2019re late, we don\u2019t play.\u201d So I let it all out and said: \u201cHas she ever been late? Has she ever been late? Nah, okay, well, I\u2019m not gonna treat her like she\u2019s a habitual latecomer. So she\u2019s gonna start and she\u2019s gonna play tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> I felt awful.<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> She did. <\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> I set two alarms after that. <\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> I probably gave you your phone back. <\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> No, I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n

\"dawnBrian Lowe<\/p>\n

Nike<\/strong> vest, Michi <\/strong>track pants.<\/p>\n

\"lineOn Getting Through Challenging Times<\/strong> <\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> When my grandmother passed during my sophomore year, I didn\u2019t want to play basketball anymore. It was like, there was nothing left for me to do. And Coach Staley came to my parents\u2019 house and sat down with us and prayed. She let me cry. She never rushed me to come back. She was there for me, and that\u2019s what I needed at that moment, because I didn\u2019t know what I wanted to do. I didn\u2019t want to play basketball, but at the same time, I loved it. I didn\u2019t want to give it up. <\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> It was pivotal. She was so young, and you have to give them space. We gave her a week off\u2014and a week is a long time. But you can pick basketball back up. However, if you bring her back too soon, then there may be an issue with her just struggling [mentally] throughout the season. Instead, she was able to take that week for her grieving process and ultimately got to a place where she knew her grandmother wouldn\u2019t want her to quit basketball.<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> I think we grew closer through that, because grieving sucks. Everyone goes through it, and you never know how it may hit. When you\u2019re just a young girl that\u2019s trying to navigate life, it makes it even harder. So I think that moment there sticks out to me, because you didn\u2019t have to do that\u2014but you did. <\/p>\n

\"lineOn Their Coach-Mentee Status Since A\u2019ja Went Pro<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> It\u2019s the same. It\u2019s the same as going to practice every day.<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> No, I give her space, though. I mean, I watch her play. And if I think something is terrible, I just say so. <\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> She literally does. And I\u2019m always like, Yeah, absolutely.<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> I\u2019ll also say, \u201cGreat game. This is the bleep I\u2019m talking about!\u201d It ain\u2019t a long, drawn-out thing. And sometimes we check in, we FaceTime, and get that in. But I\u2019m always watching, you know? Her parents and I still text each other. It\u2019s really cool, just the evolution of it. I mean, you get to know families in an intimate way\u2014and it doesn\u2019t stop when they\u2019re not at South Carolina.<\/p>\n

Although, you know, people see A\u2019ja and my relationship, and it might put some of my other former players off a little bit. But what happened is just that A\u2019ja was her authentic self\u2014she gave everything to the sport, and she was unafraid to be vulnerable or bring her problems to me so we could navigate them together.<\/p>\n

\n

“I’m unafraid to say what needs to happen. You can listen or not listen. I’m still gonna be there.” \u2014Dawn, on coaching young players<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A:<\/strong> I look back at how I was at South Carolina and I\u2019m like, I could never coach A\u2019ja. I\u2019m never gonna be a coach. I couldn\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> She was pretty easy. When you have disciplined parents, you\u2019re not going to stray too far, right or left.<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Coach is very nonjudgmental. She sees stuff within you that you probably don\u2019t even see in yourself, and she\u2019s gonna bring it out of you. Sometimes it\u2019s gonna aggravate the mess out of you because you don\u2019t see it. But then once the code cracks, you just gotta bite that bullet and say, you\u2019re right. That\u2019s how you always coached me. Sometimes I\u2019m like, I don\u2019t know what she\u2019s talking about, but I\u2019m gonna do it because she\u2019s my coach and I trust her. But sometimes she sees things that I\u2019m like\u2026girl, how you do that?!<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> For me, it\u2019s the people first. People over basketball\u2014basketball is the easiest part; it\u2019s the common thing that brings us together. The challenge is how do you get young people to a point where they can handle whatever it is that comes in their life, so they can be good on the court? Because if they\u2019re not good in their personal lives, they\u2019re not going to be good on the court. And if you\u2019re not going to be good on the court, you\u2019re going to fall short of your goal. <\/p>\n

Every one of our players that comes to South Carolina wants to go to the WNBA. Is it feasible? No, not all of them are going to go\u2014but we darn sure are going to coach them like they got a great shot at making the team, and the way you do that is to make sure that they\u2019re in a good headspace. I want to take all of our players\u2019 problems and help them to a place where they won\u2019t even seem like problems. They\u2019re just stuff that you\u2019ve got to deal with. Then you free yourself up to be the best player that you can be. <\/p>\n

\"30<\/p>\n

Darren McNamara \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

\"lineOn WNBA Hopes and Dreams<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> It was just a matter of time before we cracked this code of women\u2019s sports blossoming. This is something that\u2019s been planted and it\u2019s been watered for a long, long time, by the Dawn Staleys of the world\u2014they helped build this. I\u2019m just blessed to be able to witness this, and to live it, and to now continue to build on it. <\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> I lived through it as a player, back in the \u201990s. When you compare it to where it is today, it\u2019s clear women\u2019s basketball was held back. We were put in a bottle and told this is all y\u2019all are gonna get, because we don\u2019t feel like you are a revenue producer and y\u2019all cost too much right now. But the NBA cost too much when they first started out\u2014it\u2019s called growth. When you water the plant, when you nourish it, when you encourage it, it\u2019s going to grow. We\u2019re at that place right now. Whether people want to attribute it to one player or eight players or whatever, this has been brewing for a long time. <\/p>\n

Related Story<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> I\u2019m glad that we can now sustain this hype that we\u2019re having right now, and to kind of be at the forefront of it with the W, it\u2019s been a blessing. It\u2019s one of the reasons why I love what I do, and I try to go out there and play the best basketball that I can, because if that\u2019s someone\u2019s first time watching it, and they\u2019re trying to invest, I want to put on a good show to sustain it. So I\u2019m excited just to be a part of the curve. <\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> Yeah, and now it\u2019s not even that they are allowing us to be in this space. We\u2019re kicking butt with the fans. They\u2019re not gonna let anybody off the hook as far as taking us back to where we were. We\u2019re gonna keep kicking down doors because we know that we\u2019re a sport and we know our worth. There are numbers behind our work now. Back then, they kept it all in and they didn\u2019t tell us. Now it\u2019s all out there, so nobody can dampen our flame, because the cat\u2019s out of the bag.<\/p>\n

Right now, the WNBA<\/a> is in its 29th year. If we look at where the NBA was in its 29th year of existence to now, that\u2019s what I want. I want us to be projected as a multibillion-dollar sport, and we\u2019re on our way.<\/p>\n

\"lineOn Self-Care <\/strong>Off the Court<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> I\u2019m a nail and hair girl. I love getting my hair done. <\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> I do three things, yeah? I walk, I get facials, and I get massages religiously. I get my best naps after getting the facial and a massage. I try to do it at the end of the day, because I\u2019m no good after leaving a facial\u2014I\u2019m like a zombie. It\u2019s that good. Yeah, I get a massage every Sunday night that I\u2019m home, plus I\u2019ll sit in my massage chair for 30 minutes before a game. <\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Oh, I got one of those. <\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> It\u2019s the best.<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> It rocks you to sleep. It\u2019s ridiculous.<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> I\u2019ve got two.<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> I also recently got into meditating. Okay, this might be a little crazy, but through my TikTok research, I\u2019ve learned that I have some kind of nervous problem. I think I should go to my actual doctor\u2026but on TikTok, it says that I had this problem because my
hormones are all scatterbrained. So then I started diving into more TikTok and fell down a rabbit hole. I now know I need to meditate more, because I\u2019m on all the time, especially in season\u2014I\u2019m just constantly on and on and on. So I learned to meditate, and that\u2019s really helped me calm down a lot, because your girl was struggling. <\/p>\n

\"a\u2019jaBrian Lowe<\/p>\n

ON A\u2019JA <\/strong>Nike<\/strong><\/strong> sports bra, leggings, socks, and sneakers. On DAWN <\/strong>Vince<\/strong> jacket, Calvin Klein<\/strong> tank, Nike<\/strong> pants and sneakers, zappos.com.<\/p>\n

\"lineOn Stepping Into Your Power<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> When we won our back-to-back championship in New York, I could have gone on the Empire State Building butt naked, waving at everybody. That moment, there was everything that I needed in my career, like I could have just stopped it right there. It was just a lot that season. We lost two of our starters\u2014it was just a barrel of bad news at the worst time possible. I was calling Coach Dawn in my hotel room, bawling my eyes out, pacing back and forth, like losing my mind, because I just did not understand why was this happening now. But once we won, oh man, there was a moment where I was like, yeah, no one can tell me anything. And now I\u2019m in love with that feeling, and all I want to do is get back there. That moment: top tier.<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> There are two moments in my life when I felt the most powerful: when I asked for equal pay, and then when I asked for my worth\u2026which was more than equal pay from my male counterpart. I became the highest-paid coach in the country for women\u2019s basketball. I knew I was doing it for other women, not just in sports, but in boardrooms\u2014anywhere that women feel like they do the same or more in a position. I wanted it to be a ray of hope for them to risk it all. Sometimes, in knowing your worth, you gotta be able to risk it all\u2026meaning they might fire you, but you also might get what you ask for. You\u2019ve been in enough situations where you know you can use your habits to get you over the top.<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> When I heard that, I was like, good for you! Right on. I really believe you have to always bet on yourself. I think that\u2019s something that I struggled with, particularly around COVID. And then I got to a point where I was just like, fuck it\u2014like it or love it, I\u2019m gonna be here. I deserve to be here. I\u2019m working my butt off to get here, and I\u2019m gonna make sure that I can show up as my true self every single day. And it\u2019s amazing what doors open once you do that. Once you kind of understand from within, no one can stop you. That is so key for us as women in sports, or whatever field you want to be in, because we have enough people trying to tear us down. Like, the last thing we need to do is self-sabotage.<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> It\u2019s true, just be your authentic self. Don\u2019t change because of who\u2019s in a room and what you think they want to hear. I sit here and I listen to A\u2019ja, and she\u2019s at that place that sometimes people don\u2019t reach until they turn 50, where life clears up for them. You start to tell people what you like and don\u2019t like\u2014and a lot of times, you\u2019ve had enough life experiences and understand what you\u2019re saying is not going to be detrimental to anybody. You\u2019re just really consistent with how you view things. And it goes a long way.<\/p>\n

\"lineOn What It Means to Be an Icon<\/strong><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Ooh, being unapologetically good. That is the stamp for me. Like you walk into a room and just command the attention\u2014like this one right here. She eats every time she steps foot in a room.<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> I think there\u2019s longevity to it, like long, consistent success. It comes down to being your authentic self and gaining strength from any obstacles that come with it. I talk about this in my book Uncommon Favor. You could be iconic in your household and not even know it. When you put kids through high school and college, that\u2019s iconic because that doesn\u2019t
always happen. So whatever your iconic moment is, you gotta recognize that, then you gotta keep stacking.<\/p>\n

\"womensBrian Lowe<\/p>\n

ON DAWN <\/strong>Eugenia Kim Love<\/strong> jacket, shopbop.com; Calvin Klein<\/strong> tank; Cinq \u00e0 Sept pants; Nike<\/strong> sneakers, footlocker.com; Dawn\u2019s own jewelry, worn throughout. ON A\u2019JA<\/strong> Nike jacket<\/strong>, socks, and sneakers; Los Angeles Apparel<\/strong> biketard; A\u2019ja\u2019s own jewelry, worn throughout.<\/p>\n

\"cover<\/p>\n

Brian Lowe<\/p>\n

Photographed by Brian Lowe
Executive Visual Director Fabienne Le Roux
Styled by Rose Lauture
Makeup by Regina Craig using Dior Forever Skin Perfect
Hair by Myesha Jamerson using Oribe
Set Design by Danielle Von Braun
Production by Crawford & Co Productions
Director \/ Executive Producer Dorenna Newton
DP Danny Dwyer
Camera Mike Wynn
Sound Lucas Mullikin
Editor Cory VanderPloeg
AP Janie Booth <\/p>\n

Shot on location in the desert outside of @Vegas.
<\/p>\n

This story appears in the Fall 2025 issue of Women’s Health.
<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Kristine Thomason is a writer and editor with over a decade of experience creating content for print and digital publications. Previously, she was the health and fitness director at mindbodygreen, and the fitness and wellness editor at Women\u2019s Health. Kristine’s work has appeared in Men’s Health, Travel + Leisure, Health, and Refinery29, among others. She holds a journalism degree from New York University, and is certified in personal training by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).<\/p>\n