NEW YORK, February 21, 2025 – Today, Black Privilege Publishing, an imprint of Atria Books, announced the publication of an inspirational book from Dawn Staley, three-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time WNBA All-Star, and head coach of the three-time NCAA champion South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team. Uncommon Favor: Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three will be published on May 20, 2025, and will recount Staley’s journey from the North Philadelphia projects through over a decade of professional play and twenty years of coaching at the collegiate and international levels, while sharing the invaluable lessons of determination, discipline, and faith that she’s learned along the way.

Staley’s basketball career began on the Raymond Rosen Housing Projects courts in North Philadelphia, PA. The lone girl among boys, she honed her skills through hours upon hours of practice, working her way up through the local leagues. By her senior season, Staley was named the national high school player of the year, and as a point guard for the University of Virginia, she was chosen as the Naismith College Player of the Year twice. As a professional basketball player, Staley won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA in 1996, 2000, and 2004, and was selected five times (2001-2003, 2005-2006) for the WNBA All-Star team. As a head coach, Staley has led the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team to three NCAA Championships in 2017, 2022, and 2024, and led Team USA to the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She has been inducted into both the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and is the only person in the sport’s history to win a Naismith Award as both player and coach.

Staley says, “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.”

Uncommon Favor reveals a Dawn Staley she has never shared with the world before. From her Philadelphia roots, where she first fell in love with the game, to her meteoric rise to national fame playing at the University of Virginia, where she led the team to three Final Fours, to her iconic run through the WNBA and wining multiple gold medals as a player and then as a coach for Team USA; to the groundbreaking coaching career she is still building today as the architect of the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team. With every word, Staley unpacks the touchstones and turning points that molded her into the leader she is today.

Defying the odds has become Staley’s trademark—first as a player and now as a coach. But even as she refuses to back down from any challenge, Staley never loses sight of the joy of the journey and the happiness in the grind. Uncommon Favor is a triumphant celebration of life, dedication, and what can happen when you stick to your principles.

“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.”

Fearless and authentic, Uncommon Favor shares the rewards of leading with conviction and daring to redefine the limits of what’s possible.

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Black Privilege Publishing brings potent, culturally relevant content from emerging and renowned Black voices around the world to the marketplace. It focuses on opening new doors in the publishing marketplace by amplifying Black and Brown narratives, rethinking traditional approaches to the industry, and engaging with the audience that founder Charlamagne Tha God knows best—cutting-edge, connected, and culturally aware.

About Simon & Schuster: Simon & Schuster, a global leader in general interest publishing, is dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages, and in all printed, digital and audio formats. Its distinguished roster of authors includes many of the world’s most popular and widely recognized writers, and winners of the most prestigious literary honors and awards. It is home to numerous well-known imprints and divisions such as Simon & Schuster, Scribner, Atria Books, Gallery Books, Adams Media, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Simon & Schuster Audio and international companies in Australia, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom, and proudly brings the works of its authors to readers in more than 200 countries and territories. For more information visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.

CONTACT:
Shida A. Carr, Deputy Director Publicity
Atria Books / Black Privilege Publishing
Shida.Carr@simonandschuster.com

For rights Information:
Nicole Bond, VP, Executive Director Subsidiary Rights
Simon & Schuster
Nicole.Bond@simonandschuster.com