Gayle King’s comments during an interview with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley suggested that she was supporting Iowa and its star player Caitlin Clark to win the NCAA women’s basketball championship game.
The day following South Carolina’s 87-75 victory in the championship game, King spoke with Staley on CBS Mornings following the tournament and remarked, “I’m happy for you guys, Coach Staley.” It was a really enjoyable game. You guys prevailed in the end, even though it was quite close at points”.
Then she asked, “Did you ever feel anxious at any point during the game? Because I became worried. Of course, Caitlin Clark and Iowa were the teams we were all rooting for, but you won the hearts of so many people.
“I was never worried during the game,” Staley retorted, going on to outline the team’s plan of action to overcome a 10-0 deficit.
A few days after the interview aired, an altered version was shared on X with the title, “Gayle…honey. Who was it that you were all supporting? “@GayleKing really????,” she repeated after saying “Bye.” Who was it that everyone was rooting for Caitlin and Iowa? We? Who are we?!”
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After discovering the post a day later, Staley wrote, “I was sleep deprived and missed that…oh well.” Don’t change the plot; instead, spend a few extra seconds announcing the chip winners.
People were not going to let King speak for them; instead, they had to reiterate that Staley and her team were the people’s champions.
One fan retorted, “Our team was cheering for the Gamecocks! One user remarked, “Idk what Gayle was talking about lol.”
Someone else said, “@GayleKing must speak enthusiastic French. I haven’t seen an interview—I may have seen one—where a winning coach was addressed in this manner. I wish a mf had admitted to Pop or Steve Kerr that they were supporting the opposition team. However, they’ll still harm Dawn.”
One remark was made to the seasoned broadcaster, “@GayleKing, you know even Dawn Staley wasn’t impressed with your wish for Iowa to win when you were interviewing her for the national title.DO BETTER.”
As the comments poured in, people’s angst seemed to grow. One tweet read, “Gayle don’t make me mad.”
Gayle King hasn’t responded to the backlash yet.
Staley is widely acknowledged as the highest-paid Black coach in women’s basketball. This season, she guided the Gamecocks to a 38-0 record, which allowed them to win the school’s third title in the previous seven years.
Ray Tanner, the team’s athletic director, believes she has been a huge benefit to the university.
He remarked, “Dawn Staley is one of the best coaches in the country, no matter the sport. She built our women’s basketball program from the ground up, and her teams have produced winners, both on and off the court.”
She also made history at South Carolina in 2021 when the school declared it would give her a contract extension through the 2027–2028 campaign, along with a sizeable compensation increase of $22.4 million spread over seven years.
As a result, she became the highest-paid Black head coach in her sport and the highest-paid Black women’s coach overall, in addition to being among the most-paid women’s basketball coaches in the country.
Although Gayle King may not have supported her and her group, the public did and they are happy that she is reaching the prize.