Dawn Staley and Shaquille O’Neal both graduated in 1992. While O’Neal went on to get drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic, there was no WNBA at that time for University of Virginia graduate Staley to begin her professional career with.
Seeing this and getting constantly compared to Shaq filled Staley with frustration. She revisited that moment during her recent appearance on the IMO podcast with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson.
“Was that life difficult? It was,” Staley said. “I would say this: When I graduated from UVA in 1992, my male counterpart was Shaquille O’Neal. Right? Yeah. Shaquille. Yeah, we know that dude. $80,000,000 contract. Me? I’m sitting at home.”
Staley then recalled what she earned compared to her male counterpart, Shaquille O’Neal, by working at a retail store.
“And that mother who cleaned houses cleaned a house for a man who owned a retail store,” Staley added. “So I had to ask my mother, I’m a college graduate, to use her plug, right, to get me a job at his store. And I did retail for about three weeks. And I’m like, this isn’t for me. This isn’t for me. Like, once I got that check, that check was, like, $227. I’m like, for all that? All of that. Three weeks.”
After working for three weeks, all Staley would come up with was $227. It might seem modest now, given that these days college basketball stars earn a lot more after they graduate. Unfortunately for Staley, she didn’t have the WNBA at the time, which forced her to search for playing options overseas.
Dawn Staley had to wait four years before turning pro
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Four years after graduating from college, Dawn Staley joined the American Basketball League (ABL) in 1996. She played briefly in the ABL for the Richmond Rage before the league folded in the late 1990s.
Her next avenue was the WNBA, where she was picked ninth overall by the Charlotte Sting in 1999. She stayed with the franchise until 2005 before being traded to the Houston Comets, finishing her final season there in 2006.
During her tenure, Staley earned six consecutive WNBA All-Star selections from 2001 to 2006. Moreover, she averaged 8.5 points, 5.1 assists, 1.3 steals, with shooting splits of approximately 39.9% FG, 37.6% 3PT and 83.4% FT.
Read More: ’Never Cheated On It’: South Carolina HC Dawn Staley Gets 100% Real On Veteran Basketball Career
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