Dawn Staley can now add another prestigious title to her list of accomplishments: New York Times Bestselling Author. Her memoir, “Uncommon Favor”, made an impressive debut at No. 2 on the New York Times Best Sellers list, as announced on Wednesday.
Released on May 20, the book carries the subtitle: “Basketball, North Philly, my mother, and the lessons I learned from all three.”
“It’s been a couple of years in the making,” Staley shared in a heartfelt post on social media. “Everyone, every single person that touched this project poured into it.”
She continued with gratitude, saying: “Thank you, everybody, for your support. Thank you for reading it, thank you for relating to it, thank you for taking this journey with me.”
“Uncommon Favor” offers an intimate look into Staley’s life beyond her storied basketball career. The book explores her upbringing, personal challenges, and the values that have shaped her, adding depth to the public image many already know.
According to her publisher, the 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.”
The phrase “uncommon favor” became widely associated with Staley’s undefeated 2024 national championship team at South Carolina, a sentiment she expressed when crediting her faith after their title victory.
Interestingly, it was radio personality Charlamagne tha God who finally convinced Staley to put pen to paper.
“I’ve had a lot of people ask me about writing a book, and I put it off,” she admitted. “But Charlamagne tha God was persistent, insistent.”
In a celebratory tweet on May 28, Staley shared her excitement with fans:
“BIG BIG I MEAN HUGE NEWS my good peeps! WE ARE A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Thank you to our incredible teams, every reader, every listener and every supporter for the work to make UNCOMMON FAVOR a bestseller! Unbelievable! Unimaginable! Thank you lord for your UNCOMMON FAVOR❤️”
𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲:
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀.
With this achievement, Staley now stands alongside her former player, A’ja Wilson, who also became a bestselling author with her 2024 release, “Dear Black Girls”, which charted in the Advice, How-to, & Miscellaneous category. “Uncommon Favor” appears under Nonfiction.
To celebrate the launch, Staley has already held promotional events in New York and Philadelphia, and appeared on several television programs. She is scheduled to host a sold-out book signing in Columbia on May 29.
