Former WNBA star Essence Carson is no stranger to balancing passions. Known for her prowess on the basketball court, Carson also has a deep-rooted connection to music and a strong sense of spiritual grounding. In a recent conversation, she reflected on how her love for music blossomed, her practices for maintaining peace, and her views on pivotal moments and people in sports and culture.
A Lifelong Love Affair with Music
Music wasn’t just background noise in Carson’s upbringing—it was a central part of her identity from a young age.
“Oh man! Music has been around me since I could remember,” she began, describing her childhood in a household full of soulful sound. “I grew up in a household that loved the oldies but goodies and I grew up with my grandparents so we were always listening to the vinyl especially around the holiday times.”
The sounds of Motown were particularly prominent during festive seasons. “When Christmas time came around of course you had all the Motown Christmas albums playing on the record player,” she said, painting a nostalgic picture of music and family.
But it wasn’t just the classics that shaped her. Carson recalled discovering her love for hip-hop in a basement with a record that would spark her passion. “I discovered one of my favorite hip-hop songs through vinyl — it was Father MC’s Do 4 Love/ I’ll Do For You… I had it in the basement and I stumbled across it and I put it on the record player and I fell in love with hip-hop back then.”
Music, she said, made her feel good—and that feeling stuck with her. “I just remembered the way music made you feel. It made me feel happy and who doesn’t want to feel happy, right?”
Her journey with music continued from childhood into formal education and professional life. “By the time I got to age nine, that’s when I started playing instruments; it started with the piano and the saxophone and it continued throughout high school at a Performing Arts School studying music while I was at Rutgers,” she explained. Even as she pursued a career in basketball, Carson never abandoned her musical calling: “Once I became a professional basketball player I continued on with music and just continued to hone my skills and collaborate with other producers and other songwriters and other artists, and here we are now… fast forward — I work in the music industry as well and I don’t have any regrets of the path that I have taken.”
Clearing the Air—Literally
In a profession filled with high stakes and high stress, Carson has found her own ways to stay grounded. One method? Burning sage.
“I burn sage all the time,” laughed Carson with an enthusiasm, while recalling how her teammates once teased her. “When I was in the bubble my teammates used to laugh at me! They were like, Is that a thing from New Jersey or something?”
She made it clear that it wasn’t about trends or location, but about energy. “I just like peace. I love clear energy and I understand when you have that clear energy and you’re able to bring people together.”
For Carson, it’s a personal practice with powerful implications. “That’s part of the recipe for success, right? You take care of yourself as far as you coming in with the right energy and the right mindset and perspective, and then from there it’s contagious.”
Then vs. Now: Speaking Out and Being Heard
Carson was part of the 2007 Rutgers women’s basketball team targeted in a controversial and offensive remark by radio host Don Imus—a moment that garnered national attention. Reflecting on how such an incident might unfold in the current climate, she pointed to the evolution of media and public discourse.
“It received a LOT of attention when you’re talking about the media. I did receive a lot of attention. However, it was us against him, right?” she said.
She emphasized how much has changed since then. “I feel like now with the progression of social media, with the progression of Me Too there are more people able to use their voices at one time, right? Simultaneously. Which then creates that snowball effect.”
Carson sees that shift as a positive one. “That’s not a negative thing at all, you know? There’s power in numbers and we didn’t necessarily have that [at that time].”
Back then, support often remained unseen. “There were a lot of people that might have shared the same sentiment that we had, however… it wasn’t that easy for them to voice their opinion and voice their support. Their support was more so behind the curtain and behind the closed doors when the cameras were off.”
Today, social media has given people a voice—and a stage. “Now you’re able to gain that support for so many people at one time. It doesn’t feel like, Oh my gosh. We have to do this alone.”
Honoring the Greats
When asked about where Rutgers’ legendary women’s basketball coach C.Vivian Stringer stands among coaching icons, Carson had no hesitation.
“Of course she’s going to be the GOAT, right? She’s going to be number one, right?” she said proudly.
Carson also paid homage to other iconic coaches. “My top three college coaches—you got Coach Stringer… Pat Summitt… Dawn [Staley] is in there hands down,” she noted, while also recognizing rising coaching talent. “There are some amazing other coaches as well throughout the country — you have Tina [Thompson] at U of Virginia embarking on her coaching career and of course you can’t leave out Arizona’s Adia Barnes.”
She didn’t forget the trailblazers either: “So many people that have even come before them with the Carolyn Peck’s out there that went out and won championships.”
T-Spoon at the Top
Carson has strong thoughts on whether Teresa Weatherspoon, affectionately known as “T-Spoon,” on whether she should coach in the NBA or the WNBA.
“Oh that’s tough! That’s tough,” she admitted. But her conviction quickly surfaced. “At the end of the day I believe that T-Spoon deserves to be a NBA head coach. I’ve believed that since Day One.”
While she’d love to see Weatherspoon coach again in the WNBA, Carson supports her taking whichever path presents itself. “So if that head coaching job opens up on the men’s side first? I’m all for it. I say take that opportunity.”
She emphasized Weatherspoon’s unique qualifications: “For someone who has that wealth of knowledge and the experience that she has and that connection to players that she has, deserves that spot.”
And in the end, it’s about reaching the pinnacle. “It seems that there are a couple of opportunities that have opened up a little quicker for her on the men’s side so I’m with whatever comes first for her. Because I honestly believe that she deserves it. She deserves to be at the top of the food chain.”
