Women’s basketball coaching legend Dawn Staley may be busy with her summer high school recruitment drive, but she took some time off on Saturday to watch some of the best female hoopers in the planet play. She was near front row and was enjoying the WNBA All-Star Game where she revealed that she made a new friend.
As it turns out, her new friend is New York Liberty mascot Big Ellie, who hung out with the South Carolina head coach and sat with her during the All-Star Game. Big Ellie even showed off her championship ring to Staley, who is a multiple-time champion herself, both as a player and as a coach.
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In the images that Staley posted on Instagram, she showed off the various necklaces and bracelets given to her by some of the children she is helping. This includes one from seven-year-old Blakeleigh Thompson, a cancer patient who has formed a close friendship with the South Carolina head coach over the last few months. Staley has showed off the child’s gifts proudly in public on several occasions.
Staley was there when the seven-year-old completed her cancer treatment and finally got to ring her cancer-free bell earlier this month in an emotional moment for her and her family. Blakeleigh and her mom are big supporters of the coach and were there to cheer Staley’s South Carolina on during March Madness.
Dawn Staley Made It Clear in Her Book That She Won’t Be Coaching Pro Basketball
Dawn Staley hanging out with the New York Liberty mascot in the WNBA All-Star Game happened as South Carolina itself has confirmed that a fellow New York pro basketball team tapped her for a vacant head coaching job. That team is the New York Knicks.
However, this may not happen as an excerpt in her book, “Uncommon Favor” goes saying she does not want to be a WNBA coach and would rather be an owner.
“Over the years, several WNBA teams have gauged my interest in coming on board. I don’t want to coach in the WNBA, never have. If I jump over, I want ownership,” she said in her book.
Also in her book, Staley revealed that the New York Knicks offer was not her first time getting an NBA team interested in her, as the Portland Trailblazers also tried to get her as a head coach, but did not work out.
Related: An Anomaly’ – Dawn Staley Calls Caitlin Clark the Toughest Player She’s Coached Against
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