Women’s basketball has has always been politicalbut sometimes it’s political in ways fans don’t expect. This was the case on Saturday, when South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley has launched an urgent appeal for the safety of some of its former players.
“Please pray for our @GamecockWBB @TiffMitch25 @2121Mikah @dstnyltttltn24 who are in a war zone in Israel!! We are making a plan to get home. Praying for our loved ones to return home safe as soon as possible! Thank you in advance,” Staley wrote about.
The three players in question – Tiffany Mitchell, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and Destiney Littleton – previously played for the Gamecocks and are all currently playing basketball overseas in Israel. The three women were believed to have been in the country when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump launched a military operation against Iran. The country fought back and the Israelis were under fire all day.
Staley didn’t specify which team(s) the women play for, but it’s clear that they’re each living the dream of playing professional basketball the same way many women and men do: by traveling the world. There are several professional teams in Israel. And while there are plenty of male basketball players who end up playing overseas, more often than not women who go overseas to pursue their professional basketball careers do so because there historically haven’t been enough spots in the WNBA for them, and/or because they can make significantly more money doing so.
This underlines much of the discourse around the WNBA right away. One of the reasons WNBPA members are fighting so hard to get a deal they feel comfortable with is to ensure that WNBA players are properly compensated, which would mean they wouldn’t have to travel overseas to play basketball unless they wanted to. While some players may choose to do so, many have expressed gratitude to leagues like Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited, which have allowed players to continue playing in the United States during the WNBA offseason.
As for Staley, he’s also an example of why his players continue to sing his praises, both as a coach and as a person. It’s clear that these players are important to her, and she has continued to share updates as they arrive. It is unclear what the dynamic will be in Israel in the coming days, or even weeks.
