South-Carolina
Dawn Staley contract: Everything South Carolina coach said about record salary, impact on team
COLUMBIA — South Carolina coach Dawn Staley is the highest-paid coach in the history of women’s college basketball as of Friday with a new contract that takes effect immediately and will run through 2029-30.
Staley, who won her third national championship at South Carolina in 2024, will receive an annual salary of $4 million with a $250,000 increase every season and a $500,000 signing bonus that makes the total value approximately $25.25 million.
“I’ve never been driven by money at all, never, ever,” Staley said on Friday afternoon. “Money is the byproduct of your success and your ability to work hard and be successful in your space. I do think it represents what can be in other professions that women for whatever reason are not paid for doing the same type of work, for the same type of job and I think this is an example of what it can look like, feel like, sound like and I hope everybody is happy about it for what it represents.”
Before the new contract, LSU coach Kim Mulkey was the highest-paid coach at $3,264,000.
Staley’s salary was the third-highest among women’s college basketball coaches, according to the USA TODAY Sports database from March 2024 but both she and UConn coach Geno Auriemma were making $3.1 million in terms of total pay.
“I think what it represents is, we play to a certain standard and I do think when we are able to get a raise like this, it’s to your standard,” Staley said. “I don’t think anyone expects us to play lower than our standard and we haven’t. Rewarded is a hard work for me because it’s earned. When you’ve done what you’re suppose to do and well above what you’re suppose to do you should be paid accordingly.”
Although she said she doesn’t usually share this kind of information with her players unless they ask, she did talk about what a contract like this may mean to them down the line.
“There’s going to be a time in their lives where they’re going to feel like they’re doing a job and they are getting paid less,” Staley said. “How to handle those instances. It’s a fight no matter what, it’s a fight … it’s a fight to explain to people what your worth is. You have to do some comparisons with coaches here, and coaches in other spaces and it’s the way it is, it’s negotiations. Our negotiations as women are a little bit different because we are valued a little bit different but I think when it’s all said and done, it’s the same things you apply to this game … negotiations are a game … you go back and forth.”
Staley said former athletic director Ray Tanner, who had been working as AD until a little over a month ago, played a huge role making her new contract happen and that current athletic director Jeremiah Donati came in towards the end.
“It took a while for it to happen, a long time and fortunately we got to this great place that makes me look good but it makes our University and athletic department look great in the grand scheme of things,” Staley said. “Ray Tanner did a great job, ran a hard bargain.”
On the men’s side, Kansas coach Bill Self was the highest-paid coach as of March 2024 with a total pay of $9,625,624. In March, South Carolina men’s basketball coach Lamont Paris was given a six-year deal that pays him $26.25 million over the life of the contract, or an average of $4.375 million per year.
“The board of trustees did something that is extraordinary because it really just doesn’t happen but I’m glad it’s South Carolina, our University and our board, that no matter what, we look good,” Staley said. “I’m glad I am the person to be able to handle it because I truly don’t care about the money, I do care about the principle of it. Don’t care about the money but it’s the right thing to do though.”
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin