Dawn Staley

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert – Episode Featuring Dawn Staley

Release Date: June 2, 2025
Guest: Dawn Staley
Host: Stephen Colbert
Podcast Title: The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert
Description: The #1 show in late night delivered straight to your ears, every day. Featuring whip-smart writing, hilarious monologues, and revealing conversations with celebrity guests.

---

Introduction to Dawn Staley

In this episode of The Late Show Pod Show, Stephen Colbert welcomes basketball legend and head coach Dawn Staley to discuss her illustrious career, her new memoir Uncommon Favor, and her profound impact on women's basketball.

Timestamp: [04:32]

Colbert: "My next guest is a basketball icon and head coach of the University of South Carolina women's basketball team. She has just written a new memoir, Uncommon Favor. Please welcome to THE Late Show, Dawn Staley."

Dawn Staley: "Nice to meet you."

Transition from Philadelphia to South Carolina

Dawn Staley delves into her personal journey, highlighting the cultural shift from her hometown of Philadelphia to the slower-paced South Carolina. She shares the initial challenges she faced adapting to a community where interactions are more personal and pervasive.

Timestamp: [05:25] - [06:12]

Colbert: "What do you think of my home state of South Carolina? Have you taken to it?"

Staley: "It was somewhat difficult at first. I grew up in a big city, Philadelphia. And when you go down to South Carolina, it's a little slower. If you want to go to the grocery store and get a loaf of bread, you're going to have to have a conversation with 20 people."

Colbert: "Cause that's where you find out about everybody's family."

Staley: "Yes. It took me a while to get used to being addressed as 'ma’am,' which initially felt almost insulting because I thought it was reserved for the elderly. But I realized it's a sign of respect for anyone, regardless of age."

Honoring Achievement: The Statue Experience

A significant moment in the conversation revolves around Staley's new statue in South Carolina. She reflects on the honor and the mixed reactions following its unveiling.

Timestamp: [06:43] - [08:09]

Colbert: "We had your former player, WNBA All-Star Asia Wilson, on the show. She's got a statue down in South Carolina, and I just found out you just got your own statue down there. That it is. Congratulations."

Staley: "I really wanted Asia to be the only statue initially because I think she's deserving and a local star. When they told me only 6% of women worldwide receive this honor, I felt compelled to do it for other women as well."

Colbert: "How did it feel to see yourself in bronze?"

Staley: "It's pretty cool. Initially, when they released the statue, South Carolinians felt it didn't resemble me accurately, leading to some backlash. However, after adjustments, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. It captures the essence of who I am."

From Player to Coach: Career Transition

Staley shares her unexpected journey from a celebrated player to a revered coach, highlighting the pivotal moments that steered her into coaching.

Timestamp: [08:33] - [10:48]

Colbert: "When you became a coach, did you see it as your ultimate destiny?"

Staley: "No, I didn't want to be a coach initially. I had great coaching experiences as a player but never envisioned myself on the coaching side until I was approached by the Athletic Director at Temple University."

Colbert: "You got tricked."

Staley: "In a way, yes. Dave O'Brien from Temple reached out, thinking bringing a local hero would be beneficial. Though I was hesitant at first, his confidence in my leadership abilities convinced me to take the position. It was a challenge I didn't anticipate but ultimately embraced."

Impact on Women's Basketball and the WNBA

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the growth of women's basketball and the WNBA, with Staley expressing optimism about its future and her role in its expansion.

Timestamp: [09:32] - [10:15]

Colbert: "CBS is going to run the WNBA in primetime, and you're set to commentate on it. How does it feel to see the rise in popularity of women's basketball?"

Staley: "It's a breath of fresh air and long overdue. Our game has been held back for so long. Now, there are ample opportunities to showcase the incredible talents of players like Asia Wilson, Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, and Breanna Stewart. It's an exciting time where women's basketball is finally receiving the recognition it deserves."

Reflections on Coaching Excellence

Staley's coaching prowess is acknowledged, with the Wall Street Journal lauding her as one of the greatest basketball players ever and an even better coach. She reflects on her coaching philosophy and the legacy she aims to build.

Timestamp: [10:32] - [12:10]

Colbert: "The Wall Street Journal said you're one of the greatest basketball players ever and an even better coach. Did you always see coaching as your ultimate path?"

Staley: "No, coaching wasn't my initial plan. But being asked to lead the Temple women's basketball program presented a challenge I couldn't refuse. My leadership as a team captain translated well into coaching, and I've been fortunate to build a successful program that brings championships to South Carolina."

Conclusion and Book Promotion

As the interview wraps up, Colbert invites listeners to explore Dawn Staley's memoir, Uncommon Favor, encouraging them to delve deeper into her life lessons and experiences.

Timestamp: [12:10] - [12:13]

Colbert: "Her book Uncommon Favor is available now. Dawn Staley, everybody. Thank you for listening to the Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert."

---

Notable Quotes

1. Dawn Staley on Southern Hospitality:

   "If you want to go to the grocery store and get a loaf of bread, you're going to have to have a conversation with 20 people."
   [05:25]

2. On Respect and Titles:

   "It took me a while to get used to being addressed as 'ma’am,' which initially felt almost insulting because I thought it was reserved for the elderly. But I realized it's a sign of respect for anyone, regardless of age."
   [06:04]

3. Regarding Her Statue:

   "Nothing beats skinny. It stays that way forever, which is nice."
   [08:09]

4. On Embracing Coaching:

   "I was drawing to challenges. Are you challenging me? Right? And then he was like, okay, well, can you come down and meet some other people."
   [10:48]

5. On Women's Basketball Growth:

   "It's a breath of fresh air and long overdue. Our game has been held back for so long."
   [09:36]

Final Thoughts

This episode offers an intimate glimpse into Dawn Staley's remarkable journey from a top-tier basketball player to a celebrated coach and author. Her candid reflections on cultural transitions, leadership, and the evolution of women's basketball provide valuable insights for listeners. Through her experiences, Staley exemplifies resilience, adaptability, and a relentless pursuit of excellence, making her a truly inspiring figure in the world of sports.

Transcript

[Stephen Colbert]

Hey, everybody. Stephen Colbert here about to read the copy for our sponsor. This is from our friends at Wonderful Pistachios. And I was the wonderful pistachio spokesman for years. Yeah, I have a real close association with nut meat. Okay. You know what they say when they reach for a snack? Don't hold back. And that's exactly the approach with Wonderful Pistachios. The don't hold back snack. These little wonders are so tasty, it feels like getting away with something. But surprise. Each serving has 6 grams of protein and 0 grams of regret. That's right. No guilt. Just glory, glory in our nuts. Whether it's a satisfying crack of in shell pistachios, and that's capitalized in shell, or the smooth, instant gratification of no shells. No judgment. That's just it. Just eat. No judgment. I take issue with one thing. It's instant gratification. It's super tasty smooth.

[Jon Batiste]

It's a hard nut smooth.

[Dawn Staley]

Exactly.

[Stephen Colbert]

I mean, even out of the shell, it's still a nut.

[Jon Batiste]

We can't disparage the nuts.

[Dawn Staley]

You.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm not disparaging the nut. I'm describing the nut.

[Jon Batiste]

Don't disparage any flavors.

[Dawn Staley]

I'm not.

[Stephen Colbert]

I am celebrating the pistachio right now. I'm on board. I love pistachios. I love. I love crushed pistachio. Like a pistachio crusted trout.

[Dawn Staley]

Oh, unbelievable.

[Stephen Colbert]

Instead of a trout amandine, a trout pistachio. Fantastic. Enough butter? Who cares?

[Jon Batiste]

Very good.

[Stephen Colbert]

And I love pistachio ice cream.

[Jon Batiste]

Have you had the sea salt and vinegar? Wonderful pistachio. It's delicious. I get them.

[Stephen Colbert]

I didn't even know I get them.

[Jon Batiste]

Before the softball games.

[Stephen Colbert]

But that's. You see, it's been a while since I've been the spokesman for wonderful pistachios. I didn't realize we'd achieved new pistachio technology.

[Jon Batiste]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow. Wonderful pistachios has every snack style covered. Right now. There's an obsession with jalapeno lime. There is an obsession session. It's almost a disorder. It's spicy, it's zesty. It's basically a flavor roller coaster in a nut. Snacking on the go. Grab a bag of no shells. Feeling contemplative and want to work for it a little. So earning it, they're saying if you want to earn your nut, crack open those in shell beauties. Either way, it's snacking like a champ. So the next time hunger strikes, don't hold back. Unless it's a hunger strike. And then it's important that you do, because whatever you're doing that for, I'm sure it's a worthwhile cause. Snack like you mean it with wonderful pistachios. Visit wonderfulpistachios.com to learn more.

[Jon Batiste]

That was a wonderful.

[Stephen Colbert]

I wonder what more there is to learn. We just told them so much. We just told them so much about pistachios. But evidently there's a whole other world. There's an unexplored vista.

[Jon Batiste]

They got a bunch of flavors. They got dill pickle, jalapeno lime, as we learned, smoky barbecue. There's a lot of different flavors.

[Stephen Colbert]

Wow. And I would not disparage any of them.

[Jon Batiste]

No, no, no.

[Stephen Colbert]

Bring it on.

[Jon Batiste]

Nothing bad to say.

[Stephen Colbert]

Nut me, nut, nut me with nut meat.

[Jon Batiste]

We're nut.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, we got nothing but nut. Nutty, nutty, nutty, nutty. Talk about, talk about, talk about, talk about nutty. Good.

[Dawn Staley]

You ever hit that moment when your kid asks for help with homework and you're like, wait, when did long division get this complicated? Or maybe your child's flying through lessons and getting bored in class? Yeah, been there. Whether they're struggling or soaring, IXL can make a real difference. IXL is an award winning online platform that helps kids really understand what they're learning. It covers math, language arts, science and social studies from Pre K through 12th grade. And it's actually fun, engaging, personalized, and packed with encouraging feedback to help keep them motivated. IXL is used by 96 of the top 100 school districts in the US and it's no surprise it's backed by research. Kids using IXL are scoring higher on tests, and studies from almost every state show they're consistently doing better. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now and listeners of this podcast can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixlearning.com audio visit ixllearning.com audio to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.

It's the Late Show Poncho with Stephen Colbert.

[Stephen Colbert]

Friends and neighbors. My next guest is a basketball icon and head coach of the University of South Carolina women's basketball team. She has just written a new memoir, Uncommon Favor. Please welcome to THE Late show. Dawn Staley. Hey, nice to meet you.

[Dawn Staley]

Nice to meet you.

[Stephen Colbert]

You have taken my home state of South Carolina by storm in the last few years and brought the Carolina women's basketball team to not one, not two, but three national championships. You're from Philadelphia and as you write in your new book, Uncommon Basketball north, my mother and the life lessons I learned from all three. What? What? Having grown up in Philly, what do you think of my home state of South Carolina? Have you taken to it?

[Dawn Staley]

I have. It was somewhat difficult at first.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Dawn Staley]

I grew up in a big city, Philadelphia. And when you go down to South Carolina. South Carolina, it's a little slower. Right. If you want to go to the grocery store and go get a loaf of bread, well, you're going to have to have conversation with 20 people. Gonna have to hear about.

[Stephen Colbert]

Cause that's where you find out about everybody's family.

[Dawn Staley]

Yes. You do that.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yep.

[Dawn Staley]

And then this is when I first got there, and I was frightened because I was in my 30s then.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Dawn Staley]

I'm in my 50s now. They used to call me ma' am.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes, ma' am.

[Dawn Staley]

And I looked around, I'm like, who is ma' am? Where's ma' am? Is my mom here? Like, so I had to get used to. I had to get used to that. Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

I kinda like the sir and ma' am that I go to.

[Dawn Staley]

I do. I like it. But it's. It took me. It was almost insulting because you think that's for elderly, but it's for anybody that they respect. It's just respect.

[Stephen Colbert]

Exactly. We had your former player, WNBA All Star Asia Wilson, on the show. She's got a statue down in South Carolina, and I just found out you just got your own statue down there. There it is. Congratulations.

[Dawn Staley]

There it is.

[Stephen Colbert]

That's nice. Not only a statue, but a stat up on a ladder. How did it feel to see yourself in bronze?

[Dawn Staley]

It's pretty cool. Now, I really wanted Asia to be the only statue in our city, in our state, only because I think she's deserving. She's a local star. And then when they told me how many women actually are bestowed that particular honor, which is 6% in the world, I had to do for other women.

[Stephen Colbert]

And.

[Dawn Staley]

I mean. And getting a statue is kind of frightening because you don't know what the finished product is gonna look like. Right.

[Stephen Colbert]

How'd you like it?

[Dawn Staley]

I have to give you a backstory. Like, about a year ago, they released, you know, what they had at the moment to the public. And, you know, South Carolinians, they love me. Right. They only want to see me in a great light, and it wasn't quite up to their standard. Right. So they got a lot of backlash.

[Stephen Colbert]

They didn't think it looked like you.

[Dawn Staley]

No, they didn't. They didn't think it Looked like me. They didn't think it was shaped like me. And now I pretty much like the statue I'm on a little bit of Ozempic on it, but it works. Nothing beats skinny. Nothing beats skinny.

[Stephen Colbert]

Exactly. And it stays that way forever, which is nice. Well, you know, when you started your Pro career in 1994, before the WNBA actually existed and you had been college in your college career, you'd become. You were two time national player of the year in college. And then is it true, like after that you were working the floor at a retail shop?

[Dawn Staley]

Yeah, retail shop in an outlet mall. Not even the real like.

[Stephen Colbert]

Right. Cloth pants.

[Dawn Staley]

I was folding anything that I didn't have to greet the customers. Like, I would see a customer run off to a pile of clothes that I needed to fold and just, I was, I was shocked.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hard to close a sale right if you don't talk to. Were you working on commission?

[Dawn Staley]

I don't even know what I was working on, but I know I got my first check after three weeks, $297. And I said, thank you very much. This is my last day. I'm done. I'm done.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, now millions of people watch the wnba actually. It's actually. Is it July? Is it this June? CBS is gonna run the WNBA in primetime. I understand you're gonna commentate on that.

[Dawn Staley]

I am, yeah. I'm a part of the pregame show, so I look forward to it.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, how's it feel to see the rise of the popularity of women's basketball?

[Dawn Staley]

Um, it's a breath of fresh air. It's long overdue. Like our, our game has been. Yes. Our game has been held back for so long, and now it almost seems like there is, there's not enough outlets for, for us to showcase all of our talents. And I think now, now's a time in which you, you get to see the likes of Anasia Wilson almost, you know, on any night of the week, you get to see the likes of Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark and Breanna Stewart. You get to see women play during the peaks of their career.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, people who love your coaching. The Wall Street Journal said that she's one of the greatest basketball players ever. She's even a better coach. And I'm wondering whether, when you became a coach, did you say, oh, yeah, that's what this was leading for? That's, this was my ultimate destiny. Did it feel that way to you?

[Dawn Staley]

No, because I didn't want to be a coach. Like, I didn't. I had great coaching. Like, I had Nothing against coaching. It was more of. I don't know. I never saw myself on the other side of the whistle until I pretty much got bamboozled into coaching. Right?

[Stephen Colbert]

You got tricked.

[Dawn Staley]

I did. I did. You know, an AD at Temple, Dave o' Brien, bless his heart, asked me to come in and talk to him because I'm from Philadelphia, he worked at Temple, and he thought that bringing home a local hero would be a great thing. And I'm like, no, no, thank you. No, no, no. Then I went in and talked to him. He asked me two questions. Can I lead? I'm like, did you do your research? Right. Answered the question. I said, yes. I've been the captain on every team that I've played on. And then he asked me, can you turn Temple women's basketball program around? And I'm like, ooh, I'm drawing to challenges. Are you challenging me? Right? And then he's like, okay, well, can you come down the hall and meet some other people? He takes me in this conference room, sits me at the front of the table, and there are 10 or 12 people sitting around this conference table asking me questions. Where do you see yourself, you know, in five years? I said, playing in the wnba, right? He's like. They were like, do you not see yourself like the late, great John Chaney? I said, no, right, y' all. I was on an interview. I've never been. They were interviewing me for the Temple job, and I was there to just kindly say I'm flattered, but coaching isn't for me. I took the job two weeks later.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thank you so much for being here.

[Dawn Staley]

Thank you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Her book Uncommon Favor, is available now. Dawn Staley, everybody. Thank you for listening to the Late Show Pod show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of me, come to The Late Show YouTube channel for more clips and exclusives.

[Nicole Byer]

We interrupt this program to bring you an important Wayfair message. Wayfair's got style tips for every home. This is Nicole Byer helping you make those rooms flyer. Today's style tip. When it comes to making a statement, treat bold patterns like neutrals. Go wild. Untamed animal print area rug under a rustic farmhouse table. From wayfair.com Ooh, fierce. This has been your Wayfarer style tip to keep those interiors superior.

[Dawn Staley]

Wayfair, Every style, Every home.

[Unknown]

This summer, Pluto TV is exploding with thousands of free movies presenting summer of cinema stream hits like Good Burger.

[Dawn Staley]

Can I take your order?

[Unknown]

Four Brothers the Wood, Paid in Full and Beverly Hills Cop. 1, 2, 2 and 3.

[Dawn Staley]

How you doing?

[Unknown]

All for free. Get ready to feel the free with all the blockbusters one Summer can handle. And keep up with the action from virtually any of your devices. Summer will never be the same. Pluto TV Stream now pay never.