South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley is known to rock Louis Vuitton on the sideline at women’s college basketball games. She, with help from boosters, recently brought the brand to her players.
The mid-season gift reflects a stark contrast to a prior era of college athletics.
It used to be that women’s college basketball players could not even accept a sandwich from a booster. Now they are rocking red bottoms!
Dawn Staley always has that *fit* on.
A former six-time WNBA All-Star, Staley was hired at South Carolina in 2008 after an impressive run at Temple. The Gamecocks have made the NCAA Tournament in all but her first three years at the helm, won 23 or more games every season since 2011, won nine SEC championships, reached seven Final Fours and won three national championships. She is a four-time Naismith Coach of the Year.
Needless to say, Dawn Staley is one of the all-time greats. And the 55-year-old head coach always looks fresh on the sideline. She wore an outfit that costs more than $9,000 at the national championship in 2024 and wore a $7,500 tracksuit at the national championship in 2025. They call her “Louis Vuitton Dawn” for a reason.
South Carolina women’s basketball players are rocking Louis Vuitton.
The third-ranked Gamecocks are off to another hot start during the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season. They won their sixteenth game of the year on Thursday with only one two-point loss to the second-ranked Texas Longhorns at the end of November.
Dawn Staley found a way to reward her players for the early success. She organized a deal with one of her donors to get her players on her same level when it comes to fashion.
South Carolina hoopers were each treated to a new pair of Louis Vuitton shoes. They were also presented with the opportunity to buy other items, like bags and scarfs, with their own money.
Staley joked that she brought Paris to Columbia in more ways than one, also referring to Alicia Tournebize.
“We brought Paris to Columbia in two ways” 🇫🇷👟
— Noah Chast (@NoahChastTV) January 9, 2026
Per Dawn Staley’s Instagram story, it appears each member of the #Gamecocks gets to choose a pair of Louis Vuitton shoes thanks to a USC donor. There are bags and other items they can purchase on their own. @abc_columbia pic.twitter.com/gsKlfE2fzg
Here is the full spread:
— – (@Spicoli_____) January 11, 2026
This is a new era of college sports. Athletes were not allowed to accept any kind of gift from anybody just five years ago, before the introduction of NIL.
Former Malloy University and semi-pro basketball player Ally Leftridge revealed just how far things have come since her playing days. It was a little bit different back then, when athletes went to bed hungry.
“I love this for them. Cuz when WE was in college, we was getting $14 for away trips. That’s $7 for a meal on the way there and $7 for the meal on the way back 😭🤣🤣🤣🤣”
Washington Mystics forward and three-time WNBA champion Alysha Clark played at Belmont and Middle Tennessee. She was a four-time conference player of the year in the Sun Belt and ASUN. Her college experience was nothing like how it is today.
“This is so 🔥🔥 and to think, we couldn’t even get a free meal 🤣🤣🤣”
SShoutout to Louis Vuitton Dawn Staley for taking care of her players!