South Carolina women's basketball: Dawn Staley gets massive new contract
Dawn Staley and South Carolina have agreed to a contract extension that once again makes her the highest-paid coach in the sport. The extension will run through the 2029-30 season and her annual salary will increase to $4 million.
Staley’s salary will increase by $250,000 each season and move all the way up to $5.2 million by the 2029-30 season. She will also be given a one-time signing bonus of $500,000. She’s now the highest-paid female coach in the world, regardless of sport or level.
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Staley’s previous contract, signed in 2021, was worth $22.4 million over seven years. At the time, it made her the highest-paid coach in the sport. She made $3.78 million last season ($1 million in base salary, $2.1 million in outside compensation, and $680,000 in bonuses).
Other coaches, most notably LSU’s Kim Mulkey and UConn’s Geno Auriemma, have signed lucrative extensions worth more than Staley’s contract. It was clear, with two additional national championships and an undefeated season, that Staley was in line for a raise.
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During a radio interview in August of 2024, former athletics director Ray Tanner confirmed that he had begun discussions with Staley about a new contract. The process had been slowed in part because Staley was in Paris for the Olympics for two weeks, but Tanner said he was “hopeful” a new contract would get done before the start of the season.
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“I would tell you that certainly as you would guess there are ongoing conversations about a new contract. I’ll share that with you,” Tanner said.
That deadline obviously came and went. Negotiations were seemingly tabled once the season began. And with Tanner announcing he retirement at the end of the year, it made sense for both sides to let new athletics director Jeremiah Donati to help put the finishing touches on the deal
Mulkey signed a 10-year, $36 million extension in 2023 (an average of $3.6 million per year). Auriemma’s extension signed in 2024 is worth $18.7 million (an average of $3.7 million per year).
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