Why Dawn Staley wears beaded necklaces during games: 'I know what she's going through'

Over Dawn Staley 's 18 seasons at South Carolina women's basketball , she has emerged as one of the titans of women’s college basketball while transforming the Gamecocks from a middling program into a three-time national champion that’s one of the ubiquitous national powers in the sport. During that time, she has attracted attention not only for her 510 wins, but also for her standing as perhaps the most stylish coach at any level of basketball, men’s or women’s, in the country, whether it’s rocking Gucci or a jersey of one of her beloved Philadelphia sports teams. Her sideline attire isn’t limited to clothes.

REQUIRED READING: South Carolina vs UConn score, live updates in Final Four as Huskies lead at halftime With South Carolina yet again in the Final Four — this time, competing against reigning national champion UConn on Friday, April 3 in Phoenix — Staley is wearing beaded necklaces, including a pair that spell out her first name with basketballs in between the letters. The jewelry is more than just a sartorial choice. Staley wears the necklaces in honor of Blakeleigh Thompson , an 8-year-old girl enduring a fight with leukemia.

The sweet reason behind Dawn Staley's necklaces is a little girl named Blakeleigh Thompson ❤️ pic. twitter. com/MtL3DbGFcD — ESPN (@espn) April 5, 2025 The two first met in 2023, when Staley was visiting UVA Children’s Hospital at the University of Virginia, Staley’s alma mater.

Two years later, Thompson got to see Staley coach in person for the first time at the 2025 Final Four, when the Gamecocks beat Texas in the national semifinals. Staley, who wears the beads every game, had previously spoken about the bond she and Thompson had forged and what it meant to her, noting that it “gives me perspective. ” Dawn Staley's necklace she made earlier this summer at the UVA Health Children's Hospital was beginning to wear.