Black Twitter (or Black X) is furious with Gayle King after she implied during an interview with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley that she was rooting for Iowa and its scoring phenom Caitlin Clark to win in the NCAA women’s basketball championship game on April 7.
During a “CBS Mornings” post-championship interview the day after South Carolina’s 87-75 victory in the title game, King interviewed the Philly native and said, “I’m happy for you guys, Coach Staley. The game was such a good game. It was so close at times and in the end, you guys pulled it out.”
She then asked, “Was there ever a point in the game when you were worried? … ’Cause I got worried. We were all cheering for Iowa, of course, and Caitlin Clark, but for so many people you got their hearts.”
Staley responded, “I was never worried during the game,” before explaining the team’s strategy to come back from being down 10-0.
Days after the interview aired, an X user posted an edited version of the interview with the caption, “Gayle…honey. You were all rooting for who?!? Bye,” before doubling back with: “@GayleKing really?????? Who was all rooting for Iowa and Caitlin?!? We?! We who?!”
I was sleep deprived and missed that…..oh well. Keep your storyline but add a few seconds to tell the people who won the chip. 🙂
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) April 15, 2024
Staley caught wind of the post a day later, posting, “I was sleep deprived and missed that…..oh well. Keep your storyline but add a few seconds to tell the people who won the chip. :)”
Others could not help but chime in, explaining that Staley and her team were the people’s champs and that King did not speak for them.
“WE were rooting for the Gamecocks! Idk what Gayle was talking about lol,” one person wrote.
Another wrote, “@GayleKing must speak avid French…. I don’t know if I’ve EVAHHHHHHH seen an interview where a winning coach was addressed this way. I wish a mf would have told Pop or Steve Kerr they were rooting for the other team. But naw…. they’ll do it to Dawn tho.”
One comment was directed at the veteran broadcaster saying, “@GayleKing , see even Dawn Staley didn’t appreciate your comment about wanting Iowa to win while interviewing her for winning the National championship…DO BETTER.”
People seemed to get angrier as the responses poured in, with one tweet reading, “Gayle don’t make me mad.”
The full interview is not posted to CBS News’ YouTube page, and appears to have taken place on the same day as Staley’s interview on “Good Morning America” on April 8.
King has not responded. Outside of her comment on the profile, neither did the former Olympic champion.
Staley is celebrated as the top-paid Black coach in women’s basketball. She led the Gamecocks to a 38-0 record this season en route to capturing the school’s third championship in the past seven years.
The team’s athletics director, Ray Tanner, says she has been an incredible asset to the school.
“Dawn Staley is one of the nation’s top coaches, regardless of the sport,” he said, adding, “She has built our women’s basketball program from the ground up, and her teams have produced champions, both on and off the floor.”
She also made history at South Carolina in 2021 when the institution announced it would extend her contract through the 2027-28 season, accompanied by a significant pay raise of $22.4 million over seven years. This made her not only one of the highest-paid women’s basketball coaches in the nation, but also one of the highest-paid Black head coaches in her sport, and the highest-paid Black women’s coach in any sport.
In the updated contract, Staley’s base salary was set at $1 million annually, with additional outside compensation starting at $1.9 million in the initial year and increasing by $100,000 annually thereafter.
This season, she also earned an impressive $680,000 in bonuses., showcasing her coaching prowess and her team’s success. Before Easter Sunday, she received $50,000 for leading the Gamecocks to the Elite Eight on Good Friday.
Her contract outlines bonuses: $15,000 for 11 SEC regular season wins, an additional $75,000 for SEC regular season titles, and $25,000 for the SEC tournament title. Personal achievements, like being SEC Coach of the Year, earned her $25,000.
Simply making it to March Madness secured her another $25,000, while reaching the Sweet 16 added $25,000 more. Winning the NCAA title granted her a staggering $250,000 bonus. And after clinching the national championship and earning top coaching honors, both the Associated Press or Naismith National Coach of the Year, she received an astounding $680,000 bonus this season.
With a $22.4 million salary over seven years, she’s the highest-paid Black women’s coach in any sport.
King might not have been rooting for her and her team, but the folk were and glad that she is getting to the bag.
