Dawn Staley, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time WNBA All-Star, will publish a book titled “Uncommon Favor: Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three” on May 20.

The book will detail Staley’s career from her early years in North Philadelphia to her time as a professional player and coach. Staley played for the Richmond Rage in the American Basketball League, leading the team to the ABL Finals in 1997 before continuing her professional career in the WNBA with the Charlotte Sting and Houston Comets.

  

She has been inducted into both the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and remains the only individual to win a Naismith Award as both a player and a coach. 

In her coaching career, Staley has led the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team to three NCAA championships in 2017, 2022, and 2024. She also coached Team USA to a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“From my first moment on the court, basketball made me feel like I belonged. This book is my chance to honor the people who have built me up and to show the world what I’ve learned about what it takes to move the room and get things done,” Staley said.

The announcement was made by Black Privilege Publishing, an imprint of Atria Books.

“We are honored to have acquired Dawn Staley’s debut book at Black Privilege Publishing,” said Jonathan Karp, chief executive officer of Simon & Schuster. “Beyond her extraordinary accomplishments as a player and a coach, she is known as an inspiring and exemplary leader. The same winning insights that have produced championship teams will benefit generations of readers.”