INTERVIEW: Dawn Staley Talks 'Uncommon Favor,' WNBA; MiLaysia Fulwiley, Caitlin Clark Vs. Angel Reese + More

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Breakfast Club with Dawn Staley

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Breakfast Club
• Host: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God
• Guest: Dawn Staley
• Episode Title: INTERVIEW: Dawn Staley Talks 'Uncommon Favor,' WNBA; MiLaysia Fulwiley, Caitlin Clark Vs. Angel Reese + More
• Release Date: May 22, 2025

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1. Introduction and Book Announcement (02:10 - 06:02)

Hosts Welcome Dawn Staley: The episode kicks off with DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God warmly welcoming Dawn Staley, celebrating her achievements and introducing her latest endeavor—a new book titled Uncommon Favor: Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three.

Dawn on Her Book: Dawn expresses her excitement and gratitude for the positive feedback her book has received. She attributes the book’s conception to persistent encouragement from Charlamagne, stating:

“...you kept the conversation going. You were real persistent with it... And I appreciate that.” [02:55]

Charlamagne praises Dawn’s generational impact, highlighting her multifaceted role as a coach and basketball player from Philadelphia.

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2. Growing Up in North Philly (06:15 - 09:38)

Dawn’s Upbringing: Dawn delves into her childhood in North Philadelphia, dispelling common misconceptions about life in the projects. She emphasizes the strong sense of community, discipline, and unity that shaped her resilience and leadership qualities:

“...there was unity in the projects. There was discipline in the projects. There was manicure lawns... it was captained in a way that would compete with any suburban lawn.” [08:21]

She credits her upbringing for providing the foundational strength required to excel both on and off the court.

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3. Coaching Philosophy and Relationships with Players (09:43 - 22:24)

Striking a Balance: Dawn discusses her coaching approach, emphasizing discipline intertwined with character development. She shares her philosophy of pushing players out of their comfort zones to foster growth:

“...the most growth takes place when you're uncomfortable the most.” [14:03]

Relationship with Asia Wilson: A significant portion of the conversation focuses on her relationship with star player Asia Wilson. Dawn recounts how she coached Asia through challenging times, balancing tough love with unwavering support:

“When someone believes in you like they really do... they could tell me anything.” [18:32]

Charlamagne highlights Dawn’s natural leadership, while Dawn acknowledges the deep trust and open communication she maintains with her players.

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4. Handling Criticism and Personal Growth (22:24 - 36:56)

Embracing Criticism: Dawn addresses how she handles criticism, both from external sources and within her team. She views criticism as a catalyst for improvement rather than a setback:

“...what you're saying doesn't impact me in the way that it was dealt out. It impacts me in a way of proving you wrong.” [17:34]

Reflections on Her Father: She reflects on her relationship with her father, sharing a poignant moment from her youth where his decision to prevent her from participating in a crucial basketball event affected her deeply. This experience fueled her drive and shaped her understanding of conflict and resilience:

“...what do you do with it? Like, if she was my player and... I had to change how I operate in that space because...” [36:54]

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5. Transfer Portal and Evolving Relationships (36:56 - 44:06)

Impact of the Transfer Portal: Dawn explores the implications of the transfer portal era on coaching dynamics and player relationships. She stresses the importance of maintaining deep, non-transactional relationships despite the increasing mobility of players:

“...I need to have a relationship with you. I need... my heart is the thing that leads me.” [42:04]

She expresses concerns over the potential for excessive transfers to disrupt team cohesion and emphasizes the value of team unity that has historically driven fan engagement.

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6. WNBA Discussion (44:06 - 50:10)

Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese: The conversation shifts to recent WNBA highlights, particularly the rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Dawn provides her insights on officiating and the dynamics between the players:

“...officiating has a hard job. That's one to decipher whether or not that's a flagrant one or not. Hard job.” [44:50]

She advocates for focusing on the sport itself, encouraging fans to appreciate the overall talent beyond individual rivalries. Dawn emphasizes the importance of officiating accuracy and supports the use of replay features to correct mistakes:

“I like it because officials make mistakes. It allows them to be corrected because they're wrong.” [49:12]

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7. Legacy and Future Aspirations (50:10 - 58:35)

Player Success and Legacy: Dawn highlights the significance of her players’ achievements, particularly those like Asia Wilson and Aaliyah Boston, whose successes extend beyond the court to inspire future generations:

“If she was from South Carolina, there would already be a statue of her.” [56:03]

Aspirations for Ownership: She shares her ambition to transition from coaching to ownership within the WNBA, aiming to influence the sport's growth and support community development:

“I want to own. I want ownership.” [58:12]

Charlamagne and DJ Envy acknowledge Dawn’s contributions and discuss her statues in Columbia, South Carolina, celebrating her and Asia Wilson's lasting impact on the university and the sport.

Closing Remarks: The episode concludes with Dawn promoting her book, Uncommon Favor, available at Barnes & Noble in New York City, and expressing her gratitude for the opportunity to share her story and insights with a wider audience.

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Notable Quotes

• Dawn Staley on Career Empowerment:
  “Building a career isn't just about a job. It's about creating a path that impacts our community and future generations.” [00:00]

• Charlamagne on Dawn’s Generational Impact:
  “Dawn, you are a once-in-a-generation person...”

• Dawn on Handling Adversity:
  “The most growth takes place when you're uncomfortable the most.” [14:03]

• Dawn on Relationships with Players:
  “You could tell me anything... there’s nothing that any of my players can tell me that I haven't seen.” [22:34]

• Dawn on Officiating and Replay:
  “I like the replay feature because officials make mistakes. It allows them to be corrected because they're wrong.” [48:38]

• Dawn on Legacy and Ownership:
  “I want to own. I want ownership.” [58:12]

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This comprehensive summary captures the essence of Dawn Staley’s interview on The Breakfast Club, highlighting her journey, coaching philosophy, player relationships, handling of criticism, reflections on her upbringing, and her vision for the future of women's basketball.

Transcript

[Dawn Staley]

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[DJ Envy]

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[Dawn Staley]

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[DJ Envy]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

Early in the morning.

[DJ Envy]

The Breakfast Club Morning everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlemagne the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The icon Living Dawn.

[DJ Envy]

Welcome back. How you feeling?

[Dawn Staley]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I usually come back, I'm invited when we win the championship. We lost this year, so thank y' all for.

[DJ Envy]

Don't you start talking about. Don't you start that. You're always invited. Well, the new book, Uncommon Favor, is out right now. Basketball, North Philly, my mother, and the life lessons I learned from all three is out right now. How are you feeling?

[Dawn Staley]

I'm feeling great. Like, I mean, my friends have received their books, and they have nothing but, like, great things. Like, I am. My cup runneth over.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

They had you all over yesterday.

[Dawn Staley]

Yeah, they did. I gotta. I gotta give you a shout out. And you sparked the conversation. So many people have asked me to write a book, and I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, yeah, right. But it came from so many different people. And then when I came on the show in 2022, we talked about it, and you just. You kept the conversation going. You were real persistent with it. And, you know, that's. That's what I'm attracted to most is, like, somebody that actually.

[DJ Envy]

Persistent.

[Dawn Staley]

Yeah, persistent. And. And know the process. Like, you knew the process. I don't know if you knew my story, so. So to speak, but you knew enough to know that, you know, this. This book will be received well. And. And I appreciate that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, people like you don't come around too often, Don. Like, you are once in a generational just person, you know, and you really learn that when you read the book. Not even just as a coach, but as a basketball player, but more so as a child of Philadelphia.

[Dawn Staley]

Man, I mean, it's. It's. I mean, I had fun. Like, the process was fun. It's liberating. It is. You know, you don't really know how you're going to be received. But every person. Like, I'm actually waiting for a critic. Like, I'm waiting for somebody to say what didn't go right in the book. And we have yet to get to that point. And I just. One of my friends was listening, had a long road trip, listened to the entire book yesterday, and she was like, I'm in tears. I'm laughing. I get it. Like, the leadership part of it. I mean, the emotions that are in the book. And it's me. So some of it is emotional me. Some of it is just. I'm able to just get it out because I remembered most of it, and I had to call on my. My siblings that kind of fill in the gaps. But it's. It's me. Like, it's. It's so me. It's so relatable. It's so just. It was an easy process. So was there. Was it therapeutic at all to do it? No, it was just natural. It wasn't like it was natural. And I think sharing my story is just relatable to people. It's not like, you know, I don't think it's a, you know, like, in. We don't overdo it with the accolades. It's like the accolades are intertwined and everybody's accolade won't be like, Olympian national champions, but on a certain level, like, if you graduate high school, it's relatable. If you graduate college, it's relatable. If you can pull yourself out of the projects of any city, it's relatable. And, and there's no, there's no wrong path. Like, there's no, like, you can get off tilted, but then you got to come back by, like, habits. Come back by, you know, the, the, the. The lessons in the book are just, just it, it relates to every single thing that you would want to accomplish in life. And I'm not just saying that to pump the book, but it really is like, I'm only giving what other people are giving me, the feedback they're giving me. And it's cool to hear people just relate to the book.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The beautiful thing about uncommon favor is you get to tell your own story. So when you're writing the book, what part of your story did you want to tell because you think people misunderstood it or overlook it the most?

[Dawn Staley]

Well, one is when I speak on things that are controversial, racial things. It's. It's my perspective. Like, a lot of times people can't see what you see because it's not their experience. Their experience is only hearing you and commenting on how you feel about certain things when anybody can feel strongly about certain things. I feel strongly about everything in this book because it happened to me. Like, it's personal and it's my perspective, but it's, it's not harmful. Like, allow people to tell their stories without hurting your feelings. It's. It's. It's personal to me. Now, you could be a critic of the book, or you can enjoy the book and you do all those things, but everything in this book is. Is my story is a part of who I am. It's allowed me to grow and learn and, and succeed and fail. And all those things that happen to everybody, you know, sitting around this table and everybody that will read it or not read it, it's going to happen to you no matter what. So I think, you know, some of the stuff, you know, like, you Know the. You know, when I sued the ad at Missouri, you gotta get the whole backstory. Cause if you only hear one side of it, you only hear snippets of it. You'll think, oh, well, why does she do that? Like, or equal pay, you know, why would you. You already making a lot of money. Why would you want equal pay? Well. Well, because I know my worth. Like, it's not hard to see. I think this book is very simple. Like, very simple lessons that I'm hoping that people can take and utilize in their daily lives.

[DJ Envy]

I love it because, you know, people know you from different things. Right? Some people know you as a player, some people know you as a coach. But with this book, it starts from where you came from, which is North Philly. Right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And you talk about Raymond Rosen housing projects.

[DJ Envy]

And you talk about, you know, you said growing up in the projects was the best decision your parents made. Explain that a little bit and how that formed to the woman that you are today.

[Dawn Staley]

Just imagine the people that don't grow up in the projects. What you think happens in the projects, you think probably only one thing. Crime. Like, bad things. And for me, it was the foundation of giving me the scars I needed, the chinks in the armor I needed to succeed. Like, there was unity in the projects. There was discipline in the projects. There was manicure lawns. There was my block I grew in. Never had trash in it. Like, it was captained in a way that would compete with any suburban lawn, like, or neighborhood. So it was all those things that helped build you up. Like, I'm unbothered and unafraid to tackle on the most challenging things in life. Because that's nothing compared to where I grew. That's nothing. So I think it gave me the foundation I needed to just be able to coach every day, coach young people, generations are changing. Coaching coaching talent and individuals and young people nowadays is very, very challenging.

[DJ Envy]

And I can imagine. Cause, you know, being a player, I'm sure you got screamed at. Crazy.

[Dawn Staley]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

But if you dare talk to your girls like that, you can.

[Dawn Staley]

You gotta.

[DJ Envy]

You became a resource office.

[Dawn Staley]

Exactly. So if you're not able to pivot, if you're not able to handle different challenges that you're faced with, like, I feel bad for coaches who aren't, like, I'm a traditional coach. I like order. I like, you know, people call them rules. People think I'm very strict and disciplined, and I am. I am. But all of our rules are just good character things. Like, good. It's a good character. It's not like be on time. That's not a rule. That's a character trait. That's not hard to do if there's something that you want to do. One of the lessons, you have to do what you don't want to do to get what you want. That's the lesson. I was, yeah, like, you know, I mean, you're a renowned comedian, right? Like, you know how many stand up shows you had to do that maybe you weren't very good at at the beginning, like, but you want to be where you are today. You just kept at it and kept at it and kept at it. So no, it's no different than, you know, a child that, that wants to grow up and be in the WNBA or the NBA. Yeah. I mean, how much competitions out there. So you gotta work when nobody's working. You gotta do. You gotta get up and work out and sacrifice. I mean, I sacrificed proms, I sacrificed all these things, family reunions, because I wanted to be the best in my, in my profession. And that's. It's okay. You're gonna have to choose. You definitely don't have to choose certain things over, over other things in order for you to really be the best at it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I love how you embrace your inner child. That's what I love. This picture on the back. What's a moment from your childhood that still shapes how you like, handle pressure today?

[Dawn Staley]

You know, there's a, there's a story that I, that I share in the book about my father who, I mean, I'm over 50 now, right. But when he, I don't know, if I was 12, 14, maybe I got a chance to. I got invited to play on this team in this competition outside of Philly, like it was a road trip. And my father was like, no, you can't go. Like that hurt me. Like it really hurt me. And I remembered it so vividly that for him to deny me that, because it was one of the first times, but I'm 13, 14 years old, whose parents gonna let them somebody else take their child out of state? Like, I wasn't thinking about that. I was solely thinking about basketball. But it was one of the experiences that drove me. Like I didn't like my father for that. Like I didn't like him for the decision, parental decision that he made. But as I'm older now and reflecting on and writing the book, it is. I need conflict. I know that about myself that I need conflict. Like everything can't be comfortable. Like if I have 10 people supporting me here, I need about 10 to 12 people that's hating. Like, I need it. I mean, it helps me.

[DJ Envy]

It drives you.

[Dawn Staley]

It drives me like, it drives me. That's why you said, I don't have a critic yet. I'm waiting for a critic for the book right now. Right. So it's. That is the ability. Like, you know, we lost at UConn this year. Like, you know, the critics are saying I can't coach.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I didn't understand that. That pissed me off so bad.

[Dawn Staley]

I'm like, that's what they say. But I'm like, okay, well, but again, everything that I've needed in my life, you know, failure, success, happens to me. It's uncommon. Like, But I know, I know our loss this year will somehow help us. It will. It's just, you know, I'm not just, I'm not just relying on it helping us. I'm gonna put, put action to it. So. So it means something.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I love when you said that in a post game conference, you was like, I hope that they're crying. I hope that my players are crying. I hope that it hurts. Cause that'll make them be better next year.

[Dawn Staley]

Yeah, I mean, the most growth takes place when you're uncomfortable the most, if you're comfortable all the time. And I've said this as well. Like, parents really don't want their kids to feel what they felt like pain. And I'm like, I want them to feel pain, I want them to hurt, I want them to be uncomfortable. And I love them enough to allow them to sit in that space. Not for long, but they need to fight their, their way out of it because nothing's going to be given to. I don't like that place. I don't like to feel that. So I fight like hell to try to not feel that by prepping, by doing everything I need to do to not feel that. It's almost like when you grow up in the projects and you grow up in poverty, you don't want that anymore. Like, you don't want that once you've lived and you've, you know, earned a certain keep, you, you want to keep that because you want to change generations in your, in your family. And I, I hope I'm able to do that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You seem like you've always been a natural born leader, like, throughout your whole life, even when you was a child. So it made me wonder, if coaching never entered your life, where do you think your leadership would have shown up instead?

[Dawn Staley]

Oh, man, that's a hard question. Like, I'm, I'm I'm competitive. I probably would have been a losing gambler. But trying like heck. Like, trying like heck. I don't know. I do. I love kids, so my work would have been with kids. And I'm glad that coaching found me. Like, I'm glad somebody saw something in me that I didn't see in my side. I didn't see coaching. I didn't want to coach at all. And I don't know why, because I had great coaches. I had great people in my life that challenged me, that were good at it. But when I had coaching friends, the only thing they talked about were their teams and basketball. And I'm like, yeah, this is what I do every day. I do this every day. Why would I want to talk about it every day? Why would I want my life consumed with it? And here I am 25 years later, like, loving it. Like, I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. And when you're able to live out your passion, it's the most beautiful, liberating, and incredible experience. Like, I know my players really get something out of our relationship. They do. They get. They build character. They navigate life. But for me, I'm overjoyed when they graduate. I'm overjoyed on draft night. I'm overjoyed when they're able to see their hard work, produce what they want, what they want. Even if they don't make it to the league, they're equipped. They're equipped with being successful with anything. Seriously, that. That does something to my heart. When young people are able to get what they're supposed to get.

[DJ Envy]

And how do you block out the noise? Or do you like the noise? Cause you said you like the haters. You like the people that's doubting you. But do you need to block that out when you're coaching, when you're teaching your girls or teaching your women, how do you deal with that?

[Dawn Staley]

I mean, the hate usually comes from social media. Like, yeah, I read it. I see it all.

[DJ Envy]

You dive into it.

[Dawn Staley]

No, I mean, I look at it. Yeah. And then I. Sometimes I'm like, okay, 10, nine, eight, seven. I gotta take a 10 count. Some people go like this and delete. Like, they write and they delete. I'm like, I'll give them that. Like, but my life is living proof that what you're saying doesn't impact me in the way that it was dealt out. It impacts me in a way of proving you wrong. Like, I'm an odds beater. Like, I beat the odds. So the Odds say I've already won. Okay. This is really just icing on the cake, so. Drives me for sure.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know, you talked about your players. You got a lot of success stories from your time coaching at the University of South Carolina, but in the book, you make it no secret that Asia Wilson is your favorite.

[Dawn Staley]

Well, I mean. I mean, here's why. Here's why. And I don't. I've coached a lot of great players. Like, Asia was the very first player that was the number one player in the country to decide she wanted to come play for us. And I know it was in her backyard, but she had. We didn't. We didn't look like a national championship team. Like, we never won a national champion. We had never been to the Final Four. So for her to trust us with that part of her career meant that she believed in us, she trusted us. She knew that we were gonna get her to where she needed to go as far as still being the number one draft pick, like, four years later. Like, when someone. And it wasn't just her, it was. Her entire family believed in it. And it. It took. It took some. You know, it took some. Us at times them thinking, did we make the right decision? Because she didn't. She started her first game, and then she was terrible. Like, scrub, like, right? Scrub, like is pretty far.

[DJ Envy]

That's where that's fall.

[Dawn Staley]

So I was like, I gotta. I gotta take you outta star lineup. But I didn't even tell her that. I told her parents first. And her mom, Eva, was like, you sure? I'm like, you gonna have to trust me on this one. Like, you just gonna have to trust me. And she was like, all right. But at the end of her freshman year, she was national rookie of the year. She was first team all sec. She was rookie of the year in the sec. Like, she got all the accolades coming off the bench. And when someone believes, like when someone. As a coach and leader and mentor, young people. Young people believe in you like they really do when that's reciprocated because I believed it. I knew that she was going to be the one that takes us to that next level when you're able to have the same synergy, right? And, you know, Asia was. Was. Was hell to deal with, right? Because she's young. Like, she went to private school for, like, 12 years. All of her schooling was a private school. And so she. She needed to be roughened up a little bit to get her ready for what she faces. Like, she faces the critics right now, but I know I Know she can handle them because we took her through all of that. Like, she had dyslexia right throughout her college career. And I'm like, okay, you gonna read in front of the team every time we have a game? Cause we have a. We have a. Like a, you know. You know, we have a scripture reading and an inspirational reading before every pregame meal, and there's somebody that has to read it. So I was like, you gonna read it? Took her her senior year. Couldn't do it the first, second, or third. Her senior year, she read out loud, and she had fun with it. She was like, y' all, this is a long one. Y' all gonna have to bear with me. Like, it was that kind of liberation. So when she gave her entire self to me, the good, the bad, the ugly, the entire. And, you know, that's why I just have a really strong, like, relationship with her. Like, she could tell me anything. Like, I'm non judgmental. Like, young people won't want to tell you everything because they think you're gonna judge them. I don't judge. Like, there's nothing that any one of my current former future players can tell me that's gonna rock me that I haven't seen. Like, everybody's been through. Like, there's no new problems. It's the same old recycled problems. So just give it here so you're not dealing with it longer than you need to.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, what's something about your relationship with Asia that the fans and media don't see? But it means the most to me, to you.

[Dawn Staley]

She gives me her darkest moments.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wow.

[Dawn Staley]

Like, her darkest. Like, you see an incredibly, like, gift. I think she's the best player in the world, right?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She is.

[Dawn Staley]

She's the best player in the world. I mean, she has doubts at times, like, whether she's gonna perform at this level. And she gives me that. And I, you know, I'm like, yeah, it's a lot of pressure. So, you know, I've had experience with it because I played with the best player in the world during my day. Lisa Leslie. Same conversations I had with Lisa, like, okay, it's time for you to be the best player in the world. Like, come championship time, come gold medal time, like, I'm used to giving them. I'm used to pumping them up. And at the end of the conversation, thank you, coach. I mean, and it's not much. It's just, boom, be done with it.

[DJ Envy]

What is your biggest.

[Dawn Staley]

Even in lesson four, right, when you say you have to do what you don't Wanna do to get what you want. You weren't even good with people at first when you said you could not. You had a job that you had got through your mom's cleaning. She would get y' all jobs through her cleaning company and you didn't even. It wasn't a company. My mom was a one woman show. Like it was. Well, you know, she would get y' all these jobs and you didn't not do good with greeting people because that means you had to talk to people. That's not even what you wanted to do. And then look at you now like that journey from there to there. How did you get there doing that something that you didn't even want to do, communicate with people. Well, when you're the youngest of five, you don't really get to say, I grew up in a household, I'm the youngest. Nobody gave me any credit. I couldn't speak. Like, I got an older brother who's like eight years older. My, my, my deceased next oldest brother, seven years. My sister's six years older than me and I got another brother that's two years older than me. Like you're, you're not getting a say in our household. So I was quiet, observant, listen, really formed discernment, you know, during those, during those times. Um, and then you grow. Like you, you really grow. When I went to college, I was still the same way. Like I, I never talked, I was shy. And then, and then, you know, things start happening to you and you're like, if I don't say anything, they're gonna start taking advantage of me. So now, you know, I think growing up and seeing things and that's, you know, it's so cool that, you know, how I explain myself in this book, it lends itself to another lesson, which is look, sound, feel. If something looks, sounds, or feels off. Oh, I'm addressing it. I can't. Like it's in me to address it. If it looks, sounds, or feels off. I mean off. I'm addressing if it looks, sounds, or feels good. I'm encouraging it. Like it is that. That's where I found my voice. When something just didn't seem right or something that really seemed right that, that I wanted more of. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

What accolade meant the most to you?

[Dawn Staley]

I would say I'm so far from my playing days that I don't even really count. That probably when my players graduate, that's the best feeling because, because we sit in living rooms and we say, your child will graduate. And sometimes it's A first generational college graduate. Do you know what that means to the family? Like, it's not. It just doesn't impact that. My player. It impacts everybody that comes after her or everybody in her current family that desires to get a higher education, they'll go out and do it. Because it's not tangible in some homes. It's not. It's not something that someone has ever done in their household. And for that to happen, their. Their generations will change from that. So it's just the impact of that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know, it's interesting, right, Because I was watching you yesterday. You did Good Morning America, the View, Cobe, all of that stuff like that. So you was working, but I still know you still the coach of the University of South Carolina. But I was like, oh, you know what? She'll be fine, because she used to play ball and coach at the same time, which I found out about in the book. That was insane.

[Dawn Staley]

Six years.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's crazy.

[Dawn Staley]

Six years. I mean, when I. When I got into coaching, I was like, in my prime. So, you know, the. The AD at the time, he kept asking me, like, he was persistent. Like, I'm like, no, no, I'm not interested. I'm. I'm playing in the wnba. This is. And then he just kept asking. And then I ended up having to go meet with him because the Final Four was in Philly, and I'm from Philly. He knew I was gonna be there, so I went and sat down with him, and he asked me two questions. He was like, can you lead? Did you do your research? And I was like, yeah, I basically was the captain on every team that I played on, right? And then he was like, can you turn Temple women's basketball program around? I was like, oh, is that a challenge? Like, is that really a challenge? Because I'm drawing the challenges. And I. And I never looked at it that way, and I never answered the question. I don't even think I answered the question. He was like, hey, can you just come down the hall and meet some people? So I was like, okay, I'm here. And he took me in this conference room, sat me at the head of the table, and there were like, 10 to 12 people sitting around this table, and they're asking me questions like, where do you see yourself in five years? I'm, like, playing in the wnba. And they were like, do you ever see yourself coaching? And I'm like, no. Like, y' all. They were interviewing me. I was on a job interview, and I didn't know it because all my Job interviews were tryouts, like basketball, like, physical tryouts. And needless to say, I took the job two weeks later, and they just agreed to allow me to continue to play and coach. So I was in basketball utopia because I was coaching. And I'm actually still able to express myself on the court because I wasn't ready to hang up my shoes. I was still very much a player. And I think that allowed me to play a little bit longer than I wanted to, and that allowed me to keep staying fresh with what was up with. With teaching young people because they were more enthralled with me playing because that's what they wanted. Like, I was living their dream right before their very eyes. And I think it just helped me be a better coach, be a more understanding coach, because I was a player receiving information from a coach. And then it just helped the dynamics of what I was doing.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And I guess we learned how to get you to do things, be persistent, and get you with a challenge.

[Dawn Staley]

Right. Like, as I think about it all, and this is not in the book, but everybody that I have in my, you know, in my circle, like, I got a financial God, he pressed me for one. For a whole year when I was at South Carolina, he would come and just visit, just check in. And then, you know, finally I gave all my money to him. Like, 17 years later, he's still with me. And it's the coolest thing to have someone just because, you know, like, pour in, like, I mean, you poured into me with this book. Like, you understood it. Like, I didn't want to write a book. Like, I don't know why, but I didn't want to write a book. But then when we won last year in an undefeated way, I'm like, this is my cup runneth over. This is uncommon favor. And we tried to come up with different titles for the book, and it always came back to this because this really explains my entire life. If I had to describe my life, my career, it's uncommon favor. Like, to the nth degree.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Have you ever questioned whether you were too hard or not hard enough on a player?

[Dawn Staley]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. There was. I mean, it's all teaching moments where I wanted a freshman to beat out a senior. When I kind of first. My first couple of years at South Carolina, we, you know, we recruited this young lady because I thought she would be the best. I was like, this is the one I want. So all of our coaching staff, we zeroed in on her. She committed, she came, and then I was really hard on her. Like, you gotta do. I tried to pour everything in because I wanted her to beat the senior.

[DJ Envy]

Hey, what up y' all?

[Dawn Staley]

It's DJ Envy.

[DJ Envy]

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[Dawn Staley]

Panoramic moonroof, ambient lighting, bows and massaging.

[DJ Envy]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Dawn Staley]

I couldn't just give her. I couldn't just give her. I just. I'm not in it. You gotta earn it because you gotta. You gotta protect your locker room because if you just giving out something and you lose trust. So I wanted. So I poured into her. I was hard on her and she cried at different times of the season. And then I would talk to her like, I thought everything was good. You know, we were working towards it. Sometimes they cry. Sometimes, you know, they can, they can take it. And then at the end of the season, like I always do, I meet. I have our post season meeting and she said something. I just didn't. It didn't dawn on me during the year, like, she was like, I wasn't ready. And I never thought she wasn't ready. If she would have said that to me, like, during the. During the season, I would have backed off, but she was just like, I wasn't ready. And I'm like, I'm sorry. So I do think that it strained our relationship. I think she understands it now because she's a coach now, so she kind of understands it. But I had to change how I operate in that space because. And I ask our players to talk to me more like, I could be a better coach when you talk to me. If not, I'm assuming that everything I'm saying you're good with. So now it's like, how you feel about this, how you want to play this, how you want to do this. What do y' all think? I'm more of a listener and I involve. And more inclusive with game planning, more inclusive with how we handle problems that come up on the team, between teammates, all of that. I'm just like, we talk it out. We talk it out. I expect it's not a rhetorical question. It is an inclusive question. Hey, let's talk about this. Because I find that if you don't address it, it grows. And then you're halfway through the season and y' all still on that. When a two minute conversation could resolve.

[DJ Envy]

It all, I wanted to ask about Your father, Right. You mentioned your father earlier in the interview and you said your relationship wasn't that great, but you said it got better over the years. Do you understand some of the things that your father was trying to implement in you as a young girl? Cause they said that your father looked at women's basketball and felt there wasn't too many opportunities and didn't know if you could sustain at that time. And do you wish that you kind of put yourself in his mentality back then as a child? Cause even with the name of the book, it says basketball, North Philly, my mother, but not my father. So explain that a little bit.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But not my father.

[Dawn Staley]

Good catch. You know, I think even the one like family members that are closest to you, Yes, I thought, yes, I should have had. Had a much more mature outlook on that relationship. Now that you can reflect on it now that you can see, because I held that and I, you know, if you can hear that, I still hold that instance. But when you, when you're coaching, right, and you, you come up, you know, with you, you come into a situation where you hurt a player. Like you hurt that player. That was like probably 12 years ago. I hurt that player. Like it drives me to not hurt other players, right. And I wasn't mature enough or savvy enough to handle that at 12 or 13. So I do think it's helped me be a better coach. It helps me be a better person to really like again. I didn't talk about things I held that my father probably didn't. Probably doesn't. He's been, he's been dead and gone since 2001. Like, I don't even think he really knew how much that hurt me, but also used that to navigate the nose. Like, I handle no's a lot better because of that. Because of that. It wasn't like my mom. I was the baby girl. The baby girl. So the baby girl holds a special place. Of course, you know, with your mother. My father was a tremendously, like not high education, like he didn't he. But he was worldly. Like he knew he was a carpenter, he was a mechanic. He knew everything worldly from when I was younger until adulthood. And he really had a stronger relationship with my other siblings because they were, they were older too. They could have a conversation with him about anything. And I still used to sit back, even as an adult, sit back and kind of listen to them have these conversations about prime ministers and presidency politics. I wish he was alive today to hear his perspective on what was happening in Our world today because he was super up with everything.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I love to respect the power of habits chapter. And in that chapter, you speak extremely highly of South Carolina's own Malaysia Fawali. And you even refer to her as a younger, savvier version of you. You say, and this is a quote I heard from so many adults who gave their own parents hell only to see their teenagers return the favor. Now it's my turn in the barrel. So when I see you had. When I read that, and I was like, damn, she had so much love for Malaysia. What was your initial reaction when she decided to enter the portal? And was it surprising to you?

[Dawn Staley]

Surprising? No. I think, you know, being in this space, you, you, you, you, you, you. You become, you know, to expect the unexpected. Right? I still have much love for my lazy. Like, much love. Like, I want her happy. She came in, said she and her mom came in. She said, I think I'm going to get into the transfer portal. So I'm like, okay, well, you think or you know? And she said, I know. And I said, well, I said, I only want you happy. Like, I really do only want our players happy, Whether that's with us or somewhere else. Just be happy. And I told her, don't look back. I know it's probably going to be hard to not look back to see, you know, you leaving your hometown and all that. I said, don't look back. Like, you know, you made this decision. Just go forward with it and don't look back. You're always gonna be a Gamecock. You're always gonna be welcomed here. I wish her the best. And when I say that, people probably think, oh, but I do. Like, I really do. Like. Cause I am what's for us is for us. What's not is what's not. Let's keep moving. I don't stand. I don't stay in despair. I don't stay in those spaces for very long. I'm like, okay, we got. We gotta get. We gotta get recruiting. We gotta get back into this portal to see who we can get, you know, to help us. I think she's gonna have a promising career. I do think she's a generational talent that will never leave. Like, she does things on the basketball court that I've never seen a woman do. And she's. She'll continue to do that and will continue to. To be happy for her, except the one or two times that we have to play them. Like, it. It's. It's on. Like, it's just. She's Going to be super competitive against us. We're going to. We're going to want to win, and it's going to be a pride thing that comes with just being, you know, a competitor. And we got much love for her and her family.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Do you feel like the transfer portal era forces coaches to evolve faster when it comes to, like, player relationships?

[Dawn Staley]

Yeah. Well, for me, I need that. Like, I need to have a relationship with you. I need. I need that. Like, I'm not good in, you know, one offs. I'm not good at, you know, transactional relationships. Like, I'm not good, you know, I don't want to turn my heart off. You know, like, my heart is the thing that leads me and I need that type of connection. And I'm never going to go there with the transfer portal transactional mindset. It's helped and it's hurt. I do think that something needs to happen regarding how many times you can transfer. Like, how many? Like, how many is how many? Like, one, I think is great. Like, you picked the wrong school. Find the right school transfer. Now, I think when you're able to transfer two, three, you could be at four different schools in four years. And does it create more opportunity for them to be wealthier? Yes, it does. And I think us women are trying to get all of that back because I think our game has been held down for so long that now that. That this space is open to us and we're thriving in it. We're thriving in the name, image and likeness space. We're thriving. But I don't want people to lose sight of what team is like. My whole life is built around team. My personal life. I got a team of people, team of friends that come hell or high water, we're gonna stick together. Whether we agree or disagree, we're gonna do it agreeably. And I just, I want that for our game. I don't want. I don't want our game to lose that part of it. Cause it's the very thing that's been attracting and magnetic to the fans.

[DJ Envy]

Now, this has nothing to do with the book, but I wanted to ask, since we're talking about players, you know, the WNBA has taken a huge jump in the last couple of years, and I love it. My daughters love it, My sons love it. What do you think was going on in the WNBA where it seems like they're pitting, you know, Caitlin Clark against Angel Reese? Right. Kind of what they did in NBA back in the day. But it was more teams, right? I guess maybe not teams. It Was Magic versus Bird, this one versus that one. But this one, it just seems like. It seems very personable. So what are your thoughts? Like, even the other day with that foul and they called it a flagrant foul. I don't necessarily agree. But what are your thoughts on it?

[Dawn Staley]

You don't think it was a flagrant foul?

[DJ Envy]

I think it was just a foul. From what I've seen me playing basketball, me watching basketball. I think if it would have been anybody else, it might have just been a foul. I don't know if it was a flagrant. So just asking your thoughts.

[Dawn Staley]

Well, I think the officiating has a hard job. That's one to decipher whether or not that's a flagrant one or not. Hard job. Hard job. And I do think they understand the dynamics of angel and Caitlin. I do. I think it's great for our game. Cause it's like. Yeah, like it's a sport. Treat us like a sport. Don't treat us anything other than being a sport. It happens in every sport. Soccer, basketball, football. It happens in every sport. So let it be. I'm gonna take the lead of angel and Caitlin. And that lead is. They said it was a foul. The officials got it right. We're moving on. That's what. I'm gonna take their lead. Okay. I think it's. I think it pulls people in. I do think there are new fans that haven't watched our game, and they really don't know. So they only singly focused on Caitlin that one part. Right, Right. So when you're that. And that's their idol, that's who attracts them. But I just hope that they'll open their eyes to the rest of the talent that is there. Like, the product is incredible and it's in high demand. We played Caitlin in the national championship last year. Right. 20. 20 million. Topped off at whatever it topped off at the most. Right. I know. I know they saw us like. I know they saw us. I know they saw us have an undefeated season. I know they saw Camila Cardozo. I know they saw Ashland Watkins. I know they saw Tessa Johnson have an incredible career or day. I know they saw Malaysia do some incredible things. Like, so open your eyes up to seeing outside of Caitlyn. Well, not even outside included. Cause she's a part of it all. So, you know, I'm looking forward to the next time they play, too. I'm gonna be glued in just like everybody else. Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The wrong call in that scenario was Aaliyah Boston getting called for a Tech Exactly.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah. She shouldn't got a ticket.

[Dawn Staley]

She didn't even know until after the game. But do you feel like she tight with her money? Like she wants somebody to pay her fine?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, Kaitlyn said she gonna pay it.

[Dawn Staley]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

You feel like they should let the players play? Cause I noticed not just wnba, but NBA too. It just seems like they're taking too much control and not letting the players play again.

[Dawn Staley]

Officiating hard, hard because you want them to just play. But you also know that it can escalate. And we know when things escalate. Whether it's basketball or whether it's policing, we know when they escalate, we gotta learn how to de escalate and then allow the players to do what they do. The game, the game itself is going to lend itself to whatever. Whether it's really physical, whether it's, you know, free flowing. It, it's going to, it's going to lend itself to whatever it is. I just think that officiating is a tough, tough job. Not even, not even that. Like coaches are like on your, on your butt all the time. Like I'm including me. Like, like it's, it's, it's is they, they get, I mean they get paid a whole lot of money too to take that. But they're, they're the, they're the best in our game. Like they're the best. If there were better people to officiate the games, they, they would already be in the game.

[DJ Envy]

Right. Last question about this. The replay feature. You like it or hate it?

[Dawn Staley]

I like it.

[DJ Envy]

Why?

[Dawn Staley]

I, I like it because officials make mistakes. Right. I mean it, it allows you, it allows them to be corrected because, because they're, they're wrong. Like I would say this. We have officiating conversations every year when we go to our spring meetings. And it's, it's if they have a, like a 90% correct call rate. That's excellent.

[DJ Envy]

That's amazing.

[Dawn Staley]

Well, what about the 10%?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Especially they cost games, like really important games.

[Dawn Staley]

Exactly. What about the 10%? Like what, what is done to them for being, for calling something incorrectly? 10% of the time that has implications of, for us, NCAA seating. Right. Like for, you know, for the NBA. You know, like every game matters.

[DJ Envy]

Right.

[Dawn Staley]

So I mean, they're never gonna get that part right. But it's part of the game. It's part of the dynamics of the game. That again, it's conversation and it's, we should have conversation. Like I don't think the officials want us to have conversation about this. But you're a part of it. You know, you don't get. You know, if. If I'm gonna get criticized for. For losing, you should get criticized for not making the correct call.

[DJ Envy]

Right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I got a few more questions. I want to go back to that. That chapter, Respect the power of habits. Right. Because when. When you talk about Malaysia, it is with such reverence. How do you balance disappointment as a coach with support for somebody like her who just wanted to make a decision for herself?

[Dawn Staley]

Like, if a young person is going to speak on what they deem is good for them, that's half the battle. Like, half the battle is to be able to speak up. You know, how hard it was for her to do that. Like, really hard. Really hard. So I understand that dynamics of her decision making. And then it's like, okay, well, what do you do with it? Like, if she was my player and, you know, there was a chance for her to want to come back, or if she decided that that's not what she wanted to do, I was going to talk to her about why. Why. Why did it come to that? What makes you think this isn't a place for you? What. And for whatever she said we would go from there. I thought Malaysia. Malaysia was getting better. Like, I really. I saw a whole lot of growth on and off the court to where, like, unless she was gonna get the best of her now. Like, we went through the. You know, we went through the hard part of just kind of smoothing some rough edges and getting her to create good habits. Like, I do think habits are the thing that allows you to elevate. Right? I do. You know, so I think what we've given her and what she's given us will allow her to have much better days, much more consistent days than she had with us at her next stop.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Did she know you felt that way about her? Or she's going to read the book and be like, damn.

[Dawn Staley]

You know, And I want to clarify, the book was written already before she made the decision. The book was written, you know, months ago. I'm sure I share my feelings. Like, I don't hide anything. I wear my heart on my shoulder. I do think my Lazia really knows how I felt about her. I know. Her mother knows. I know. You know, regardless of why she came to that conclusion of wanting to leave, I know she knows she felt our love now. You know, the playing time, the whatever, the. You know, for us maybe taking her out of the game when she felt like she wanted to just kind of keep playing through some things now. She probably questions that part of it, and I'm okay with that. A lot of players leave because of playing time. A lot of people leave. It's not for. It's not for all the other stuff, because we treat them like royalty. Like royalty. Like, we're probably enablers when it comes to the treatment that we give our players, so.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But I'm sure she would have started this year her junior year, right?

[Dawn Staley]

I mean, who else was going to hold her down? So, yeah, I mean, it wasn't. I don't think it was. I don't think it came down to starting. I really don't. I think it came down to her wanting to play free. And do you know what she wanted to do? And who's to say she wouldn't have been able to do that in her junior year?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So what's the relationship with coaches if Coach Kim at LSU calls you and ask for some tips on how to coach Malaysia Fawadi? Do you give her any game at all?

[Dawn Staley]

You on your own? You figure it out. Damn. Yeah. I ain't gonna help you help her beat us. Nah. The coolest thing about your book is other than your stories and your experiences, baby, this basketball texture. What was that conversation like? What was it? Because I know this was your idea. You wanted to do this, but did they say. Did they give you pushback on it? Like, no, we're not able to. We don't know. Or how was that? See, Jazz? You said, woman sees all that. That's a strategic part of. Yeah, we got the COVID back, right? And it was just a smooth surface, like, the front of it. I'm like, this would be cool if it could feel like a basketball. Like, I mean, the color, like, this would be really cool. Now, this was really late in the process. Like, really late. They were like, oh, I don't. We don't think. We don't think we could do that. And I didn't know they were working on it. I didn't know that they actually got it done until I got my first copy. And I was like, whoa. Oh, wow. Yes. Yes. Like, I did want that. Like, this is so creative. Butter, right? Butter. Yes, ma' am.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Congratulations on your statue in Columbia, South Carolina.

[Dawn Staley]

Thank you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You and Asia Wilson got statues in Columbia. What would it take for a player to get a statue at the University of South Carolina? Cause I know they come and they be like, damn, Asia got one. What can I do to get that?

[Dawn Staley]

I mean, Aaliyah Boston. Aaliyah Boston had a incredible career. Like, she did some Things that Asia didn't do. She really did. Did some things that Asia didn't do. I think when it comes to. And her impact, like, I think Asia, the total person, the proximity to South Carolina really helped her cause, you know, But Aaliyah, from a basketball perspective, from a community, like, she is all about community and what she stands for. Like, she's a young lady. That's really. I mean, if she was from South Carolina, there would already be a statue of her.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, absolutely.

[Dawn Staley]

Like, already. And, you know, the trajectory of her career, her impact that she'll have in the wnba. I do think she's an Olympian. I'll start the campaign of getting Aaliyah. I mean, Asia's and my statue are like two blocks from each other. You know, why not go two more blocks and you can hit all the statues for Aaliyah. All the statues in one pop.

[DJ Envy]

Wow.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But y' all gonna win more championships?

[Dawn Staley]

Yeah. God willing.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes. Final question. Charlotte's thing. Why can't we bring them back to the Carolinas?

[Dawn Staley]

You know, I get. I get this.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

North Carolina or North Carolina.

[Dawn Staley]

I get this question, and I get this question about Philly, too. Cause Philly wants a. Wants a WNBA team. I do think the Hornets and the Sixers gotta do better. They gotta do better. They gotta do better. You know, like, it's. I think it's great when the NBA team is doing great. It helps with the whole camaraderie. But I do think I will say this. Sorry, Philly. Sorry, Philly. But I do think Charlotte's more ready for WNBA team. Just from a fan perspective. Like, we draw. Like, we are. We. We draw. We. We're the highest attended games in the country at South Carolina, like, for the. For the past 10 years. Like, no one's outdrawn us over the past 10 years. So I do think. I do think we're ready from that perspective. But it's more than fan support. You know, it's a business. It's resources. Who's going to pour in to the team if the team doesn't do well in the first year or two, which is highly likely. Will there be enough, you know, resources poured into a team we can put.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Together the right investment group?

[Dawn Staley]

I think so, too. I'm down because people want me to coach in the wnb. I don't want to coach in the W. I want to own. I want ownership.

[DJ Envy]

All right, well, there you have it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I would invest.

[Dawn Staley]

Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I got a little dollar. I got a couple dollars.

[DJ Envy]

I got a couple coins.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, thank you. Don new book, Uncommon Favor Basketball North Philly. My Mother and the life lessons I learned from all three is available everywhere. You buy books now? Go get it. You are guaranteed to learn something.

[DJ Envy]

That's right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You are icon living Don. We appreciate your presence on this earth. We thank God for you.

[Dawn Staley]

Thank you, thank you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And listen, I want everybody to remember that today Don Staley will be at the Barnes and Noble, Fifth Avenue in New York City. If you're in New York City, you can go see Don Staley at Barnes and Noble 1pm Today, 555 Fifth Avenue in New York. Go get a copy of Uncommon Favor signed, Don. Thank you again.

[DJ Envy]

Sean Staley. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wake that ass up early in the morning.

[Dawn Staley]

The Breakfast Club.

[DJ Envy]

Okay. Have you heard about this? Last year, the Green changed the formula for their Cool Rush deodorant. Their fans rebelled and wanted the old scent back. And ° listen, that doesn't happen often. They admitted they effed up and are bringing the original Cool Rush scent back now. It's exactly how you remember it. Cool, crisp and fresh. It's the reason it's the number one men's antiperspirant. And it's back in Walmart, Target and other stores now for under $4. So try it and see what the fuss is about. Head to your local Walmart or Target to try the OG degree Cool Rush for yourself.

[Dawn Staley]

All right, guys, taking a break to put you on to a new series on Netflix. Inspired by Judy Blume's groundbreaking 1975 novel Forever. Watch the reimagined coming of age series about young love by Mara Brock Akil, the iconic creator of Girlfriends. This epic love story follows Kesha and Justin as they explore romance and their identities through the awkward journey of being each other's first. First loves, first arguments, first heartbreak, everything. Make sure you watch Forever now playing on Netflix. Taking control of your career is empowering. Just don't tell my boss I said that. Building a career isn't just about a job. It's about creating a path that impacts our community and future generations. Whether you're starting out or making big moves, State Farm is here to support you with resources to help protect what you're working hard to achieve. They've got your back every step of the way. Because like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

[DJ Envy]

Find out [e-mail] meetings, deadlines, emails. Don't you wish you could escape the chaos? That's where the all new Nissan Murano comes in. With available features like the relaxing, massaging seats to ease stress and the beautiful skyline views that bring in natural light. It's like cruising in your personal oasis. And if you need to set a vibe, 64 colors of personalized lighting and a Bose premium sound system have you covered. Hands down, the all new Nissan Murano is your stress free getaway. Sometimes the greatest rush isn't rushing at all. Drive the all new Nissan Murano today.

[Dawn Staley]

Panoramic moonroof, ambient lighting, bows and massaging.

[DJ Envy]

Leather appointed seats are optional features.

[Dawn Staley]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.