Black History Month

Dawn Staley is a trailblazer in two arenas, breaking glass ceilings in both collegiate and professional women’s basketball. 
In 2000, Staley accepted the position of head women’s basketball coach at Temple University while concurrently playing for the Charlotte Sting. During her eight-year tenure at Temple, she balanced professional playing and coaching responsibilities, earning five WNBA All-Star selections as a point guard. Under her leadership, Temple won four Atlantic 10 conference tournament titles and made six NCAA Tournament appearances. 
<div id="attachment_208171" style="width: 970px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-208171" class="wp-image-208171" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/02/GettyImages-868370-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="626" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/02/GettyImages-868370-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/02/GettyImages-868370-300x196.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/02/GettyImages-868370-1024x667.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/02/GettyImages-868370-768x500.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/02/GettyImages-868370-1536x1001.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/02/GettyImages-868370-2048x1335.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />Dawn Staley #5 of the Charlotte Sting directs the defense against the Houston Comets on June 3, 2002</div>
Staley transitioned to the University of South Carolina in 2008. Since her arrival, the program has won three NCAA National Championships (2017, 2022, and 2024). Her 2023–2024 team completed the season with a 38-0 record, becoming one of the few programs in Division I history to finish a season undefeated. As of 2024, her coaching record at South Carolina includes multiple SEC regular-season and tournament championships. 
In addition to her collegiate and WNBA career, Staley has a documented history with USA Basketball. She won three Olympic gold medals as a player (1996, 2000, 2004) and served as the head coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where the team secured a Gold medal. She is the first person in USA Basketball history to win an Olympic gold medal as both a player and a Head Coach. 
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Black History Month Player Spotlight: Dawn Staley

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NEW YORK, June 5, 2023 – Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell has earned the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award for her positive impact and dedication in the community, the WNBA announced today.
The award, which is named in honor of WNBA legend and Hall of Famer Dawn Staley, was created to recognize a WNBA player who best exemplifies the characteristics of a leader in the community where they work or live. The award and its winner reflect Staley’s spirit, leadership, charitable efforts, love for the game, and inspirational presence in the community.
Mitchell’s influence in the Cincinnati community, where she grew up before attending Ohio State University in Columbus, has been immeasurable and has translated into her commitment to the Indianapolis community and the state of Indiana as a member of the Fever. Mitchell has a continued focus on accessibility for young athletes and supporting families to meet their basic needs.
“The WNBA is extremely proud to see Kelsey recognized for her volunteer work and community impact,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “Kelsey’s work with young people and families in her community continues to make an enormous positive influence, and she echoes the example set by Dawn Staley as a role model in sports. Along with her fellow WNBA players, Kelsey is dedicated to making the world a better place for the next generation.”
Mitchell founded the <a href="http://www.kelzhoops.org/">KelzHoop Foundation</a> to encourage and support student-athletes with limited opportunities in their pursuit of playing competitive sports. Through the Kelz Hoop Foundation, Mitchell partnered with Rosemary’s Babies and the Cincinnati Police Department to provide holiday gifts, including shoes from Dick’s Sporting Goods to the Cincinnati community.
In her continued dedication to become a more effective advocate and better understand how players can use their platform as athletes to amplify their philanthropic work, Mitchell participated in a five-week course through the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, where she received an ‘Athlete to Advocate’ Professional Certificate.
Throughout the year and leading into the 2023 WNBA season, Mitchell participated in several community events including the Million Meal Marathon, Season of Giving Dinner, the BIG Toy Giveaway, a Jr. NBA event in Louisville, Kentucky, Dick’s Sporting Goods Shop with a Pro, and the Kroger Shoe Giveaway. Additionally, Mitchell celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD), by traveling to two local high schools and sharing her experience about the impact sports had on her.
“As a player in the WNBA, we are always pushing to be recognized for what we can accomplish both on and off the court,” said Mitchell. “The Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award is the pinnacle of what it means to be ‘more than an athlete’. It is upon all of us to inspire the next generation to be the best people they can possibly be throughout all of our communities. I will carry the responsibility as a Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award winner with immense pride.”
“Community service is a selfless act. With all of the pressures, travel, and time away from family that players balance, they could easily make excuses on why they don’t have time to do anything extra,” said Staley.  “You find the moments where you can utilize your platform to elevate others. You somehow find the energy to give because you know that you have the resources that communities need. Kelsey exemplifies what it means to have a servant’s heart. She is no stranger to being a community advocate and philanthropist or to this award. She is the first player to win the Dawn Staley Award in college and the WNBA and I am proud of the leadership she displays, on and off the court.”
A designated committee selected Mitchell as the winner of the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award from a group of nominated WNBA players. The WNBA will make a $10,000 donation to the <a href="http://www.kelzhoops.org/">KelzHoop Foundation</a> on behalf of Mitchell.
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Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell Earns Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award

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The following was issued by Turner Sports PR:
WNBA Legends, Coaches, Executives and Current Players Provide an In-Depth Look at the 
25-Year History of the Longest Running Women&#8217;s Professional League in the United States 
NBA TV will premiere its latest documentary – As We Rise: 25 Years of the WNBA presented by Nike – covering the evolution of the league, progress on and off the court, and the top moments which helped shape the WNBA on Saturday, May 14, at 7 p.m. ET.
The hour-long special – produced in association with Bleacher Report and HighlightHER – features more than 30 interviews, from pioneers that helped blaze the trail during the early days of professional women&#8217;s basketball, such as Ann Meyers, Carol Blazejowski, Nancy Lieberman and Cheryl Miller, to the WNBA&#8217;s first headliners, including Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo and Sheryl Swoopes, and modern day stars Candace Parker, A&#8217;Ja Wilson, Sylvia Fowles, Nneka Ogwumike and Breanna Stewart.
The piece opens with a look back at how David Stern, Val Ackerman and Russ Granik, among others, helped build the foundation of the WNBA before capitalizing on the momentum of the 1996 Women&#8217;s National Team to launch the league in June 1997. The story later advances through the years to today&#8217;s game and how Cathy Engelbert and others continue to advance the WNBA and help empower the league and its players to lead the way in social advocacy.
Interview subjects for the documentary include:
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<td>Val Ackerman 
Sue Bird 
Carol Blazejowksi 
DeWanna Bonner 
Gary Cavalli 
Van Chancellor 
Tina Charles 
Oscar Dixon 
Cathy Engelbert 
Sylvia Fowles 
Russ Granik 
Yolanda Griffith 
Brittney Griner 
Becky Hammon 
Lisa Leslie 
Nancy Lieberman 
Rebecca Lobo 
Nikki McCray</td>
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<td>Ann Meyers 
Cheryl Miller 
Reggie Miller 
Renee Montgomery 
Arike Ogunbowale 
Nneka Ogwumike 
Candace Parker 
Ticha Penicheiro 
Cappie Pondexter 
LaChina Robinson 
Adam Silver 
Dawn Staley 
Breanna Stewart 
Sheryl Swoopes 
Diana Taurasi 
Tina Thompson 
A’ja Wilson</td>
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Following Saturday&#8217;s premiere of As We Rise, the Chicago Sky’s Parker and the Minnesota Lynx’s Fowles, a pair of former Kia WNBA MVPs and two-time league champions, will meet on NBA TV at 8 p.m., 14 years after they were the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks, respectively, in the 2008 Draft. An encore presentation of As We Rise will follow the game telecast.
NBA TV is home to more regular season live games than any other network (46 games), including 33 late season game telecasts as teams make a push for the playoffs following the 2022 AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game on July 10.
Additionally, WNBA Weekly has returned for its third season on NBA TV. The 30-minute show features host Renee Montgomery and Ari Chambers, along with regular contributions from the network&#8217;s talented roster of hosts, analysts and reporters. The show is available on demand via the NBA app.
About NBA TV 
NBA TV is a part of NBA Digital, the NBA&#8217;s extensive cross-platform portfolio of digital assets jointly-managed by the NBA and Turner Sports including NBA TV, NBA App, <a href="http://NBA.com">http://NBA.com</a>, NBA League Pass and <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/NBAGLEAGUE.com__;!!PMETyfE!IAMslgtvOSopR7OhC8tTOsz-IdpDIojmPVlFZGAJHyNqzTnwLNLxZ6uRE0ySLKlxBWYr9vSaL4e6_I5jfOUiQkM$">NBAGLEAGUE.com</a>.

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NBA TV to Premiere As We Rise: 25 Years of the WNBA Presented by Nike One-Hour Documentary, Saturday, May 14, at 7 p.m. ET

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				Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx arrives at All-Star.
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				Tina Charles ready to take on Team WNBA arrives at All-Star.
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				First-Time Brionna Jones of the Connecticut Sun arrives at All-Star.
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				First-Time All-Star Courtney Williams of the Atlanta Dream lands in Vegas.
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				Jonquel Jones #35 of Team WNBA reaches Las Vegas.
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				Jewell Loyd of the Seattle Storm reaches Las Vegas.
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				 Skylar Diggins-Smith of the USA Women&#8217;s National Team arrives stylish as can be, while holding her son&#8217;s car seat.
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				Coach Staley pulling up to the All-Star game with an Allen Iverson tee.
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				Chelsea Gray of the Las Vegas Aces arrives at All-Star.
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				 Brittney Griner #42 of the USA Women&#8217;s National Team lands in Las Vegas.
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2021 AT&amp;T All-Star Arrivals

After being selected 7th overall by the Dallas Wings in the WNBA Draft 2020, Tyasha Harris received surprise messages from her family and her college coach, Dawn Staley.

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Tyasha Harris Receives Surprise Messages From Family and Dawn Staley

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Lindsay Whalen said it’s been “the craziest two weeks&#8221; of her life.
The four-time WNBA Champion, who has been on the floor for more wins than any player in WNBA history, chose this craziness.
She saw the opportunity of a lifetime – a lifetime that has thus far been committed to bringing basketball excellence to her home state of Minnesota – and true to style, she drove straight for the rim.
Along with helping lead the Lynx this season, Whalen is now <a href="http://www.wnba.com/news/lindsay-whalen-named-head-womens-basketball-coach-university-minnesota/">the new head coach the University of Minnesota’s women’s basketball program.</a> Giving her a chance to transfer the leadership and competitive fire that have led to WNBA titles and Olympic gold medals, and to bring it to a new generation of players.
It is her dream job, and now she’s living the dream.
“I’ve been preparing for this my whole life,” Whalen said.
Whalen made the choice after the Lynx won the 2017 WNBA title, to forgo playing overseas for the second-straight year. In the offseason that followed the 2016 WNBA season, she embarked on an internship with the Minnesota Lynx, learning the general manager role and all of the things that go into that job. This winter, Whalen said she learned how to edit video, and got herself a little side hustle as a broadcast analyst for Minnesota Timberwolves games.
She has always thought about coaching, but the opportunity hadn’t yet presented itself. Until it did.
The news that Minnesota Gophers head coach Marlene Stollings would be heading to Texas Tech got around to Whalen and Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve. Reeve immediately thought that Whalen should reach out to her alma mater.
“I told her she should want that job,” Reeve said.
Whalen responded “Really?” and then Reeve suggested she get her resume together. Whalen didn’t have one.
Things moved quickly. Reeve took a call from Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle.
The next thing Whalen knew, she was in the university president’s office making her pitch. And then suddenly, one of the most beloved athletes in Minnesota history found herself in front of a podium being introduced as the Gophers’ new head coach.
At that introductory press conference, Whalen said, “I’m ready to get started.”
Ready or not, she has begun.
Whalen has been living off a long to-do for the past two weeks, leaning heavily already on her two newly hired assistant coaches, Kelly Roysland (her former college teammate at Minnesota) and Carly Thibault-DuDonis, the daughter of Washington Mystics head coach Mike Thibault.
She made those hires, has hit the road for recruiting, attended the Big Ten women’s basketball coaches meetings and is communicating with her new players at Minnesota.
All the while, she has been preparing for her new WNBA season with the defending champion Lynx as they try to be the first WNBA team to repeat as champions since Los Angeles did it in 2001 and 2002.
She is maximizing every hour of the day, making phone calls, taking meetings, doing interviews, watching video and planning.
Whalen didn’t seek this opportunity, so she admits she wasn’t quite ready for the scramble that has taken place since the day she was introduced as the Gophers’ head coach.
“In some ways, it’s easier because I just don’t know what I don’t know,” she said. “I didn’t know a lot of this stuff was my responsibility and now I know. It’s a steep learning curve, but I’m just going into it, treating every day like a new and interesting challenge. But most of the things I’m doing, I’m definitely learning as a I go.
“I’ve been able to make a lot of progress. But I have been preparing for this my whole life.”
Whalen will start her 15th WNBA season, physically and mentally ready to take the floor and lead her teammates to another title run. She imagines that she will give everything she has to each of her roles during the course of the same day.
“For these last two weeks, I only had to focus on my job as a head coach,” Whalen said. “I will be learning that transition. Going to practice, and then at night, getting on the phone, working. I won’t be watching as much Netflix and hanging out, that’s for sure.
“I’m going to make it work, no matter what.”
She will have Reeve’s support, her mentorship, and her time.
“Not everybody could handle this, but Lindsay can,” Reeve said. “To manage all of her jobs, to be a point guard, the leader of a very good basketball team, and to be a leader of a great program, that takes a special person. I’ve told her that when you get overwhelmed, ultimately you will do what you have always done as a player, focus on what’s next.”
Whalen joked that Reeve might get tired of all of her questions.
“She’s been my mentor and coach for eight years, and that will probably take on a whole new life,” Whalen said. “I’m going to tap into her knowledge, and experience and mind.
“Our point-guard/coach meetings might go on a little longer now. I’m going to be picking her brain. I’m so thankful that I have her, and that every day I’m going to see her and talk to her.”
Reeve said she expects that Whalen will continue to give the Lynx her full attention during this season, that she will be the same relentless competitor that she’s always been.
“Great players always have a fear that what they are doing is not enough,” Reeve said. “So they do more. I know that she is going to be able to compartmentalize, and capitalize on this moment.”
Whalen said it’s all worth it for a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“I always hoped at some point that I might have a chance of coaching at the U of M,” Whalen said. “And then it comes up and I’m thinking ‘Whatever I have to do to get the job, I’ll do it.’ Once the opportunity presents itself, you have to take it.”
Whalen has already spent time talking to Dawn Staley, a fellow Olympic gold-medal winning point guard who was playing in the WNBA for the Charlotte Sting when she took the head coaching job at Temple back in 2000. Staley was a player-coach for seven seasons.
Staley gave Whalen two big pieces of advice: “She said, ‘Hire a great staff, people you trust.’ And, ‘Play has long as you can. Make sure it’s out of your system.’”
Staley told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Whalen is well-suited for this.
“My interaction with Lindsay is an incredible basketball mind,” Staley said. “She understands how she wants to do things. She just needs someone to do all the administrative work to keep her focused on the right things.”
Whalen, who announced this year that she will no longer play internationally, knows that at 35, she has limited time left in her playing career.
The player who has won more WNBA games than any other in league history doesn’t know how her new job will impact the balance of her legendary playing career.
“I’ll probably know the answer to that in the middle of the season, maybe toward the end,” Whalen said. “I know I’m toward the end of my playing career, so we will see how this goes, how it feels, how I’m managing both things. I think a lot of it is going to come down to the young women on my team (at Minnesota). How are they doing, how are they developing. Whatever is in the best interest of the program.”
Longtime WNBA reporter Michelle Smith writes a weekly column on WNBA.com throughout the season. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.
<a href="http://www.wnba.com/inside-the-w-with-michelle-smith-archive/">INSIDE THE W ARCHIVE</a>

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Inside the W: Whalen Tackles New Challenge In 15th Season

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. &#8212; The U.S. women&#8217;s basketball team will hold its first training camp under new head coach Dawn Staley at the end of September.
The camp will be held in Santa Barbara, California, from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2.
Staley, a former assistant who replaced Geno Auriemma as the national team coach, will be joined by four college coaches: Jeff Walz (Louisville), Michelle Clark-Heard (Western Kentucky), Jennifer Rizzotti (George Washington) and Sue Semrau (Florida State).
A list of players expected to attend will be announced later. The WNBA Finals are around the same time, so players competing for the title won&#8217;t be available to participate in camp.
The U.S. already qualified for next year&#8217;s women&#8217;s basketball World Cup, which will be held in Spain. The Americans are two-time defending champions of the event held every four years.

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USA Basketball to Hold First Training Camp Under Dawn Staley at End of September

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Dawn Staley was sitting in the stands at an SEC Tournament game last week when she received the phone call of a lifetime. The call was from Carol Callan, the USA Basketball Women’s National Team director, who told Staley she <a href="http://wnba.com/news/dawn-staley-coach-usa-basketball-womens-national-team/">would succeed Geno Auriemma as the team’s next head coach</a>.
Staley, a former WNBA star and now a longtime coach in the women’s game, was speechless when she heard the news.
“It was pretty loud in there, but I heard [Callan’s] voice clearly and jumped at the opportunity,” Staley said during a teleconference Friday. “I look forward to the challenge of continuing to bring gold medals to USA Basketball.”
Auriemma stepped down after guiding the USA to gold in Brazil this past summer, the team’s sixth consecutive Olympic title. USA Basketball will certainly face challenges in this transition, but it should help that Staley was part of the team for five of those six gold medals. She won gold three times as a player (1996, 2000, 2004) and twice as an assistant coach (2008, 2016).
As a member of the Charlotte Sting and Houston Comets, Staley was one of the top point guards during the WNBA’s early years. She was someone the younger players could look up to, as current USA point guard Sue Bird pointed out on Friday:
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Congrats <a href="https://twitter.com/dawnstaley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dawnstaley</a> on being named Head Coach for the USA national team. Reppin those PG&#39;s!!! <a href="https://t.co/mvmeqJuz6c">pic.twitter.com/mvmeqJuz6c</a>
&mdash; Sue Bird (@S10Bird) <a href="https://twitter.com/S10Bird/status/840279200292470784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Bird is still around 13 years after winning gold in Athens alongside Staley. The trio of Bird, Tamika Catchings and Diana Taurasi won their fourth straight Olympic title this past summer, equaling the record held by Lisa Leslie and Teresa Edwards.
With Catchings now retired, and Bird and Taurasi unlikely to play in 2020, the USA’s roster is bound to look much different in the next Olympics. But there is plenty of young talent in the WNBA ready to step up, including Elena Delle Donne, Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner, who made their Olympic debuts this past summer.
“It’s a very talented pool,” Staley said. “I think a lot of it has to do with them being able to display their talents in the WNBA and overseas. You tend to get better when the competition is better. And because there are only 144 players in the WNBA, you don’t make a WNBA team without being very talented and having something to bring to the table.”
Staley also touched on how the game has changed since her playing career, when she was a perennial All-Star.
“I’ve seen the talent level increase, skill sets increase,” she said. “The physicality of the game has increased, and overall basketball from a cerebral standpoint has increased.
“I think the game is being played a lot quicker. We had a 30-second shot clock, and now it’s a 24-second shot clock. So naturally the game has speeded up a little bit. But I think it’s also because of the talent level in USA Basketball and from an international standpoint.”
Staley is already a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, and now she will continue to add to her legacy. Before competing in the 2020 Olympics in Japan, Staley will first lead the USA at the 2018 FIBA World Cup in Spain.

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Dawn Staley

Dawn Staley (born May 04, 1970) is a guard for the Charlotte Sting. She played college basketball at Virginia &#8217;92.

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