Dawn Staley is one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history. During her tenure at the University of South Carolina, she led the Gamecocks to six Final Fours and three NCAA women's basketball national championships, including a perfect season in 2024. In April, she was honored with a statue on the school’s campus for all of her accomplishments.

Appearing on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” Staley discussed the importance of being a Black woman with a statue in South Carolina.

“It's pretty cool. I really wanted A’ja [Wilson] to be the only statue in our city, in our state, only because I think she deserved it,” Staley said. “She's the local star. And then, when they told me how many women actually are bestowed that particular honor, which is 6% in the world, I had to do it for other women.

Colbert also asked Staley how she’s adjusted to living in his home state.

“It was somewhat difficult at first. Yes, I grew up in a big city, Philadelphia, and then when you go down to South Carolina, it’s a little slower, right? If you want to go to the grocery store and to get a loaf of bread, you're going to have to have a conversation with 20 people,” Staley said.

She admitted that she had to get used to the “Southern Hospitality” in her community, which gave her a new title.

“When I first got there, I was frightened because I was in my 30s, and yes, I'm in my 50s now, they called me ‘ma'am’.  I looked around like, ‘Who is ma'am? Where's ma'am? Is my mom here?’ I had to get used to that,” she laughed.

Staley recently released her new book Uncommon Favor and was honored with a statue.  The highly anticipated memoir “reveals the journey that led to Staley’s success, including the challenges she faced. From dealing with sexism on the court to feeling isolated in new environments, Staley honed her skills and learned valuable life lessons about mental fortitude and maturity that have grounded her throughout her career.”