Is Dawn Staley Married: Who is His Wife or Partner?

Dawn Staley is not married to anyone presently. She is, however, rumored to be in a romantic relationship with fellow basketball coach, Lisa Boyer.

Under Dawn Staley’s guidance, the South Carolina Gamecocks won their very first Women’s Basketball National Championship for the NCCA, in 2017. With this and many other accolades under her belt, Dawn Staley cannot be described as anything other than legendary. Still, fans are curious about what goes on in her private life.

Dawn Staley Is Not Yet Married

Born in Philadelphia, Dawn Staley became the first person to receive the Naismith Award as both a player and a coach. She clinched this honor on April 2, 2020, two years after her appointment as the University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team’s head coach in May 2008. And so the conclusion that she has excelled in her professional life is no myth.

Still, the overwhelmingly incessant questions regarding her personal life have refused to let up. On her own part, the 6-time SEC tournament championship winner has chosen not to speak publicly on her love life.

Dawn Staley

While we cannot confidently confirm that Dawn is not married, it might not be wrong to assume that she is not judging by the fact that she isn’t sporting a ring to show her official attachment to a significant other.

Like most celebrities, Dawn Staley has been plagued with questions about her glaring lack of a life partner, and it’s clear her patience for entertaining these questions has run out, hence, she has taken a new approach to tackle the gossip mongers.

The 4-time NCAA Regional champion most recently shocked everyone while responding to a troll on Twitter by referring to herself and USC fellow coach, Lisa Boyer, as a married couple. This caused a bit of an uproar on her Twitter timeline as her fans took the post literally.

Meanwhile, nine years ago, Dawn Staley also set tongues wagging after she took a lick at a Twitter user with the name, @ksan_indiangirl. We don’t know exactly what the user said, but it annoyed Dawn Staley enough for her to respond sarcastically, suggesting that the Tweep – who was obviously female – was her domestic husband.

What Is Dawn Staley’s Sexuality, Is She Gay?

There is no question that Dawn Staley has solidified her place in the hall of fame of basketball greats through several coveted wins. But is it possible that she is also part of another different, yet equally exclusive club, called the LGBTQ? The rumors about her sexuality have been intensifying for years, and a lot of people have been of the opinion that she is indeed gay. To be fair, the basketball coach tends to embody the stereotypical lesbian appearance.

Dawn generally prefers baggier masculine clothing as opposed to a softer, feminine look. Nonetheless, she doesn’t seem to be offended by the lesbian speculations. If anything, she welcomes them and claims that she is a very proud ally of the gay community.

While she hasn’t ever come out to expressly deny or confirm anything rumored about her personal life, she does not hide from occasions that demand support for the group—which is one of the most marginalized in the country.

Dawn Staley

There are some others who say that the LGBTQ community welcomed Dawn Staley first. She was applauded by a former assistant of hers, Melanie Balcomb, who explained that the 53-year-old coach openly showed love and support to her and her lesbian partner. Melanie told the heartwarming story of the way Dawn open-mindedly embraced both her partner and their kids in a 2017 New York Times interview.

Melanie described her surprise at the warm welcome she received from her ex-boss. She explained that her lesbian relationship was so often criticized – so much that her experience with Dawn Staley had been refreshingly unbelievable.

In her own words, “We haven’t been welcomed everywhere, and Dawn welcomed me and my family. It’s been an unbelievable experience.” Dawn Staley’s warm treatment of lesbian couples isn’t the only reason the LGBTQ loves her so much.

Also, at the 2014 Chicago Tribunal, Dawn made a touching speech on the importance of ending LGBTQ discrimination saying that she wanted to support any community that embraces the WNBA. On behalf of the league, Dawn Staley went ahead to pledge her support for the LGBTQ, on account of how the community has welcomed countless WNBA players in the past.

Whether she openly identifies as a member of the lesbian community or not, Dawn Staley had made it pretty clear where her allegiance lie.

Dawn Staley Has Been Romantically Linked to Lisa Boyer

For several years now, Dawn Staley has been romantically linked to fellow South Carolina associate head coach, Lisa Boyer. The two women have struck up an easy friendship, as well as a working partnership.

Both women worked in sync to bring the National Championship trophies to South Carolina in the five years they have worked together. But who is Lisa and what makes people think they are dating? Well, let’s first of all take a look at who Lisa Boyer is.

Dawn Staley

Lisa Boyer holds an equally illustrious position as her rumored lover. She is the associate head coach of the Gamecocks basketball women’s team, at the University of South Carolina. Boyer has occupied the position since 2010.

Previously, she was an assistant for the Cleveland Cavaliers between 2001 and 2002, and the head coach of the Bradley Braves women’s basketball team from 1986 to 1996. In 2014, the Ogdensburg-born Boyer was inducted into the Ithaca College Athletics Hall of Fame.

Lisa Boyer holds the record as the first woman to coach in the National Basketball Association. Her closeness to Dawn had already raised eyebrows, especially as Lisa herself has never been married. Surprisingly, a tweet from her USC colleague further fueled the romance rumors.

In the now-deleted tweet, Dawn Staley said, “Boyer!! We are that old married couple who started young and will grow old together. You put the ride and die in the RIDE and DIE! Proud of you Boyer. Thanks for sacrificing your career to help me serve our teams, program, university, and state. What a ride?!”

The tweet, taken literally, is hardly evidence of a relationship that is anything other than platonic, however, many people ran with it and the rumors intensified. But presently, even though neither woman has come out to clear the air, there is really no concrete evidence that suggests a romance between the two women. They appear to be just colleagues who happen to be close friends and nothing more.

Hugo Wright
Hugo Wright
Hugo has extensive professional writing experience and has been writing and editing articles on multiple platforms for several years now. Away from work, he is a football addict who loves to catch up on his favourite pastimes.

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