Dawn Staley: ‘When You Grow Up in the Projects, A New Pair of Sneakers Gives You Life’—How Her Historic Nike Deal Changed Everything

Former WNBA star Dawn Staley’s rise from Philadelphia’s projects to the pinnacle of women’s basketball is a master class in perseverance and passion. One of the first women in basketball to sign a million-dollar deal, today, she’s a coaching powerhouse at the University of South Carolina, grooming the next generation of WNBA stars while staying true to her roots. Dawn Staley, O∆K One of her lifelong loves? Sneakers. In a resurfaced 2023 interview with the “Boardroom” podcast’s Eddie Gonzalez, Staley reminisced about her career and how a groundbreaking partnership with Nike changed her life. “When you grow up in the projects, a new pair of sneakers gives you life,” she shared. “I didn’t care what I looked like from my ankles up growing up… I’ve been with Nike since 1995.” Sneakerhead For Life Staley was one of a select few women to receive a signature sneaker in the 1990s. “Sheryl Swoopes was the first in our generation to get a shoe. I think Lisa Leslie got signature shoes. And then, you know, it was me, and I didn’t even know I was a sneaker head out of our entire team, like the USA team. I was the one,” she continued....