"I will never lose that image": When Dawn Staley opened up about visit to Africa with former POTUS Bill Clinton

In July 2013, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley joined former US President Bill Clinton and his daughter, Chelsea, on a 10-day humanitarian trip to Africa. Representing the WNBA, Staley was part of a delegation organised by the Clinton Foundation to observe ongoing community projects across several African countries.

The journey took her to Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania and Rwanda. In Malawi, she visited a farm that taught locals how to improve the amount of protein in their diets. In Zambia, she toured rural clinics with Chelsea Clinton under the Clinton Health Access Initiative. In Tanzania, she saw the introduction of banking services.

“Each day is an eye-opening experience for me,” Staley wrote in an email to the Associated Press, talking about the trip. “We can learn to appreciate the small things in life that we sometimes may take for granted.”

Two moments particularly stood out for Staley. In Zambia, she watched a child hear for the first time after receiving a hearing aid.

“I will never lose that image,” she wrote. "For the rest of my life, I will be able to tell people what it's like to witness someone hearing for the first time or to let them know what it's like to watch people drink clean water and how we can learn to appreciate the small things in life that we sometimes may take for granted."

In Rwanda, they immediately pledged funds to cover medical care for 10 critically ill children. The trip also included attending a malaria-testing football match in Zambia, where she distributed footballs donated by South Carolina football coach Shelley Smith.

Staley met Bill Clinton in 1996 after winning Olympic gold, but this trip gave her a chance to speak with him more personally.

“He is really an engaging person whose intellect is off the charts. Those dinners are something I will treasure,” she wrote. “The Clintons are genuine and caring individuals who truly want to make a difference in the world.”

Dawn Staley spoke with Bill Clinton on Clinton Foundation Podcast

A few years later, on August 15, 2019, Dawn Staley appeared in an episode of the Clinton Foundation podcast 'Why Am I Telling You This?' President Bill Clinton spoke with Staley about leadership, representation and women’s sports.

Staley reflected on her Olympic journey and mentoring young athletes. Talking about how today’s players benefit from decades of visibility in women’s professional basketball, she said:

“Women's basketball is a lot different from almost 30 years from when I played. I think it's better and here's why. They're quicker, they're stronger, they are more skilled and they're more skilled in all those things because of what they've been able to see."

Dawn Staley is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, Naismith Hall of Famer and multiple NCAA championship-winning head coach.