"Secret that had been eating at me for years": When A'ja Wilson opened up on how Dawn Staley helped her overcome dyslexia
Dawn Staley first met A'ja Wilson, who later became a national champion at South Carolina, when Wilson was just 13 years old. The two met at a basketball camp, and fast-forward sixteen years, Wilson is now considered one of the greatest WNBA players of all time.
The two-time WNBA champion attributed much of her success to coach Staley, whom she credited for helping her overcome her dyslexia. In her March 2018 article, "Brute Strength," in The Players' Tribune, Wilson wrote about how Staley helped her cope with her struggles with the disability.
Wilson said she was often nervous about having to recite pregame scripture in the locker room in college. Dawn Staley, who had learned about Wilson's struggles, continued to push her to read aloud in front of the team, despite knowing it was outside her comfort zone.
"I don’t know what exactly made everything different after that," Wilson said. "I’m serious when I say that everything changed after that reading started.
"It was definitely humiliating at first, but I kept at it. Just straight brute force, every time she asked. I don’t know if she thought it would help, or if it would make me play better, or what. But after a while, it really would make me feel better. It was like I could suddenly talk with people about this secret that had been eating at me for years."
Wilson added that after opening up and embracing her weaknesses, she was able to be more of herself, which took a "huge weight" off her shoulders.
A'ja Wilson shares how Dawn Staley became her mother figure
A'ja Wilson spent four seasons playing for Dawn Staley on the South Carolina Gamecocks team. She led the team to their first national championship in 2017.
However, none of that would have been possible if Staley had not been in her corner and had not helped her with everything on and off the court, according to Wilson.
"Over the years, Coach Staley has become like my second mom," she said (via The Players' Tribune). "And the truth is that I’d be a completely different person if it wasn’t for her."
The Las Vegas star mentioned how standing in line to receive her certificate and shake hands with Dawn Staley at the basketball camp where they first met helped change her life.
Wilson left South Carolina in 2018 and was the first overall selection in the WNBA draft. Even after all these years, she remains very close with Staley and they often interact on social media.