• Stacey Dales is a former professional basketball player, who turned to the NFL Network as a reporter and covers college basketball matches.
• She was born in Collingwood, Ontario Canada and holds Canadian nationality.
• She matriculated from Thousand Islands Secondary School in 1997 and enrolled at the University of Oklahoma, getting her BA in communications in 200•
• She served as a sideline reporter for ESPN, covering National Basketball Association (NBA) and college football games, and worked for the NFL Network in the position of the national reporter and correspondent.
• Her net worth is estimated at over $2 million.
Contents
Stacey Dales is a former professional basketball player, who turned to the NFL Network as a reporter, and now covers college basketball matches. Stacey has recently been rumored to be a lesbian, so let’s find out if it’s true.
Early life and family
Stacey Dales was born on 5 September 1979, in Collingwood, Ontario Canada. She holds Canadian nationality, and her zodiac sign is Virgo. Stacey was born into the family of Jim and Heather Dales, who moved to Brockville, Ontario soon after Stacey was born, so she spent her childhood there. Stacey has an older brother named Burke, who was a football star, and played 10 seasons in the CFL (Canadian Football League), until he retired in 2014. Stacey confessed she didn’t call her brother a better athlete than her until she retired from the professional sport: ‘My brother is a better athlete by far. I used to not be able to admit that’, she shared in her interview to the New York Times in 2007.
She also has a cousin named Jason Arnott, who played in NHL (National Hockey League) for 18 seasons, retiring from the professional sport in 2013. Stacey’s grandmother is 96 years-old Doris, who Stacey says was her biggest inspiration and supporter in life, and that she was proud to be her granddaughter. Stacey shares multiple photos of her family on her Instagram profile, saying that she has a very supportive family; her parents still live together.
Educational background
Stacey matriculated from Thousand Islands Secondary School (also known as TISS) in 1997, and felt the passion for basketball during her school years. She was a member of her school basketball team “Pirates”, and helped the team to win three consecutive championships in ‘AA’ high schools for senior girls in Ontario in 1994, ‘95 and ‘96. In 1997 after matriculating, Stacey enrolled at the University of Oklahoma, getting her BA in communications in 2001.
Basketball career
At University, Stacey played various sports, particularly basketball. In 1999 she participated in the Pan American Games, and then in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. In 2001 and 2002 Stacey was named the Player of the Year in the Big 12 Conference after her successful seasons and performances in FIBA Americas Championship for Women in 2001, and later in 2003. Stacey also holds the record of being the first Oklahoma player to score 1,700 points, also performing 700 assists along with 600 rebounds.
In 2002 the Washington Mystics selected Stacey third overall, making her the highest Canadian ever player to be drafted. However, she had to announce her retirement in 2004 due to her diagnosis of Raynaud’s phenomenon in her hands – the disease made her hands endure spasms and a reduced blood flow.
After a year of intensive treatment, Stacey got back to basketball, joining the Chicago Sky in 2006, when the Washington Mystics didn’t resign her. On 5 April 2008 Stacey announced her retirement from WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) for the second time. In June 2016 she was inducted into Brockville’s Hall Of Fame, just as her brother, Burke Dales.
Television career and sports analytics
Since 2002, Stacey worked in the position of a college basketball analyst, both for men’s and women’s games, and also served as a sideline reporter for ESPN, covering National Basketball Association (NBA) and college football games, actually the first female sports analyst for men’s basketball games. Stacey worked for ESPN until 2008, while in 2009 she was hired by the NFL Network in the position of the national reporter and correspondent, as well as the host for the NFL Media Programming.
In 2010 Stacey was a correspondent for NBC Universal Sports during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. She also covered primetime NBA games as a sideline reporter, serving for TNT, with the same scope of activities for CBS for which she covered primetime NFL games. In 2018 Stacey was also hired by Fox Sports to become their analyst for women’s college basketball matches, which she is now covering. In 2018 and 2019 Stacey became the ambassador and the spokesperson of the brand Phillips 66.
When Stacey was asked in an interview with The New York Times which is harder for her, working on TV as a reporter or playing basketball professionally, she answered: ‘The difference is that basketball is what I have been doing my whole life. What I do for television is natural, but there is pressure because you are so limited by time constraints and content’.
Personal life, ex-husband Chris Schuman. Is Stacey a lesbian?
Stacey met her future husband at the University of Oklahoma, as Chris Schuman was her classmate. The couple started dating, and married on 13 April 2002 in a private ceremony. However, the couple divorced in 2005, not giving any explanation to the press or the fans. The couple didn’t have kids, giving all their love to their three dogs: Allie and Gracie, two yellow Labradors, and a Labrador-Collie mix, Baylie. She shared that she wanted to have a baby, and that working and spending time with kids is her biggest joy. However, she doesn’t have a child yet.
Rumors about dating a female
According to her Instagram account, Stacey spends a lot of time with her female friend Gina Santostefano, so a lot of her fans suspect the two ladies are dating.
However, Stacey hasn’t made any coming out or announcement on her current relationship, but she keeps posting new photos with Gina.
Hobbies, favorite things and interesting facts
Stacey spends a lot of her spare time reading articles and various “factoids” about the world of college basketball, as it is not only her work but her biggest passion. She also likes reading books, especially “The Mental Edge: Maximize Your Sports Potential with the Mind-body Connection” by Kenneth Baum – the book about the psychology of sports. Stacey finds such themes fascinating.
As to her favorite food, Stacey admits she is ‘craving for anything’. She likes burger-style pizzas and Chicago-style pizzas, however, she can’t indulge in them all the time, as she tries to eat healthily. She also enjoys sushi and white wine.
On my way can’t wait @richeisen @RichEisenShow !!! ?? https://t.co/PqAJ5aQMoF pic.twitter.com/JoPWchIJzb
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) June 17, 2019
Charity and animal protection activities
Stacey is a long-time advocate for the rights of animals; she considers every pet should be neutered or spayed. She appeared in the video for the HSUS (The Humane Society of The United States) in which she announced: ‘My own pets are spayed. I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t contributing to the problem of pet over-population. I also knew that spaying and neutering is good for an animal’s health and well-being. I’m really happy to be able to share that message with others’.
Since 2003 Stacey has been an active member of various animal protection campaigns, organized by the HSUS. She appeared at the Pet Fest America charity event at the MCI Center (Washington, DC), communicating with guests of the event and her fans who came to see her, and spread the word about the ways people can protect animals.
Being a former player of the University of Oklahoma, she contacted the governor of the state to ask for his support in making cockfighting illegal in Oklahoma. Stacey was very decisive in her letter: ‘I feel like I’ve been a part of Oklahoma. I’m proud of that. And I wanted the governor to know that all animals need to be protected’.
Stacey often visits elementary schools to talk to young kids, not only about animals, but about a lot of things which take the minds of elementary students. Stacey often shares her thoughts on how to feel good about oneself, how to take care of the people around them, etc. Stacey has also been a big part of NAHEE (the National Association for Humane and Environmental Education).
Appearance
Stacey has middle-length blonde hair and light blue eyes. She is 6ft (1.83m) tall and weighs around 155lbs (70kgs); her vital statistics are 34-26-36.
Net worth and salary
According to LinkedIn reports, a correspondent for NFL can earn around $58,900 per year, so Stacey’s salary must be close to this number. However, the net worth she accumulated during her professional basketball career, and working for TV stations since retirement is estimated at over $2 million, as of early 2020.
