**From Coaching to Owning? Dawn Staley Hints at NBA/WNBA Ownership Ambitions on TODAY Show**
Dawn Staley, the legendary basketball coach and former player, has never been one to shy away from big aspirations. Fresh off another historic season with the South Carolina Gamecocks, where she led the team to a national championship, Staley appeared on the *TODAY Show* this morning and dropped a tantalizing hint about her future. While her passion for coaching remains undeniable, she suggested that if she were to take her career to the next level, ownership—not just coaching—might be the path forward. “My passion is here, but if I’m going to take it to the next level, ownership is the place to be,” she said, sparking immediate speculation about whether she could become the next high-profile figure to transition from the sidelines to the boardroom of professional basketball.
Staley’s comments come at a time when the landscape of sports ownership is evolving. More former players and coaches are stepping into executive and ownership roles, bringing their deep understanding of the game to the business side. Just last year, NBA legend Dwyane Wade became a minority owner of the Utah Jazz, while Grant Hill recently joined the ownership group of the Atlanta Hawks. In the WNBA, former stars like Renee Montgomery have broken barriers by becoming both owners and executives of the Atlanta Dream. Staley, with her unparalleled resume as a player, coach, and advocate for women’s basketball, would be a natural fit for such a transition.
Her credentials speak for themselves. As a player, Staley was a three-time Olympic gold medalist, a six-time WNBA All-Star, and one of the most respected point guards in the history of the game. Since transitioning to coaching, she has built South Carolina into a dynasty, winning multiple national championships and developing some of the biggest stars in women’s basketball. Beyond her on-court success, she has been a vocal leader in the fight for gender and racial equity in sports, using her platform to push for change. That combination of competitive excellence, leadership, and business acumen makes her an intriguing candidate for ownership.
But what would that path look like? The NBA and WNBA have very different ownership structures, and Staley’s approach would likely differ depending on which league she targeted. In the NBA, ownership stakes are prohibitively expensive for most individuals, often requiring billionaire-level wealth or joining a consortium of investors. However, the league has shown a willingness to welcome former players and coaches into ownership groups, valuing their basketball insight. If Staley were to pursue an NBA role, she would likely follow in the footsteps of figures like Shaquille O’Neal or Magic Johnson, who have taken minority ownership positions while remaining involved in the sport in other ways.
The WNBA, on the other hand, presents a more accessible—and perhaps more meaningful—opportunity. The league has been growing rapidly in recent years, with increasing viewership, sponsorship deals, and expansion teams on the horizon. Yet, team valuations are still far below those of the NBA, making it a more realistic entry point for someone like Staley. More importantly, owning a WNBA team would allow her to directly impact the league she has helped shape as both a player and coach. Given her deep connections to the women’s game, she could bring a unique perspective to ownership, advocating for better pay, resources, and visibility for players.
Staley’s comments also raise an important question: Why ownership? For many coaches and athletes, the allure of ownership lies in the ability to shape a franchise’s culture, make long-term decisions, and leave a lasting legacy beyond wins and losses. Coaching is about leading a team through a season, but ownership is about building something that lasts for decades. Staley has always been a visionary, whether in her playing days, her coaching career, or her activism. Owning a team would give her the power to influence the sport at a structural level, from front-office hires to community engagement initiatives.
Of course, transitioning from coaching to ownership is no small feat. It requires not just financial resources but a shift in mindset—from the day-to-day grind of practices and games to the broader challenges of running a business. Yet if anyone has the strategic mind and determination to make it work, it’s Staley. Her ability to adapt and excel at every stage of her career suggests she would approach ownership with the same intensity and intelligence that have defined her journey so far.
There’s also the symbolic significance of Staley becoming an owner. Women, and particularly Black women, remain severely underrepresented in sports ownership. If she were to take that step, she would join a very small but groundbreaking group of women who have broken into that space, such as Jeanie Buss of the Los Angeles Lakers or Sheila Johnson of the Washington Mystics. Her presence as an owner could inspire more diversity in leadership roles across sports, proving that the people who know the game best—those who have played and coached at the highest levels—deserve a seat at the table when it comes to decision-making.
For now, Staley hasn’t revealed any concrete plans, and her immediate focus remains on coaching South Carolina. But her words on the *TODAY Show* were deliberate, and they’ve opened the door to a fascinating possibility. Whether in the NBA or WNBA, her potential move into ownership would be a landmark moment, not just for her career but for the sports world at large. If there’s one thing Dawn Staley has proven time and again, it’s that she doesn’t just follow trends—she sets them. And if ownership is indeed her next step, the basketball world should be watching closely.
