Rapper Plies on Dawn Staley, South Carolina women’s basketball: ‘This place gives me hope’

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Standing out in a bubble-gum pink hat and crew neck, glistening with thick silver chains and other bling, rapper Plies sat behind the South Carolina women’s basketball bench for the reigning champions’ second-round March Madness game against No. 9 Indiana on Sunday.

“I look around this place and it gives me hope,” Plies said of the erupting environment at Colonial Life Arena, the Gamecocks’ home court. “It gives me hope, what we can be as a country. For me, this is therapeutic for me, I need it.”

Plies, a longtime supporter of the Gamecocks and head coach Dawn Staley, gifted Staley a chain Thursday before South Carolina opened the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Why Plies gifted Dawn Staley a chain before March Madness

The gold chain, which is shaped as the tournament trophy with a basketball on top, is studded with diamonds and includes a Bible verse on the back: “‘God Is Within Her. She Will Not Fail!’ Psalm 46:50.” It also has 2017, 2022 and 2024 on it, each year South Carolina has won a championship title, as well as Staley’s name on the top.

“It was me trying to find my soft spot,” Plies said about his gift. “I didn’t want to make her feel too much like a rapper, but that’s something I feel like she openly deserved.

“I just wanted to give her flowers, that was my way of trying to show that.”

Plies and Staley have had a close relationship for a while. He’s made appearances at other regular-season games, and he supported the Gamecocks at last season’s Final Four game in Cleveland. Staley joined him to dance on stage during his concert in Columbia last summer.

Plies has a concert scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday in Greensboro, N.C., nearly 200 miles from Columbia.

Olivia Noni is a student in the University of Georgia’s  Sports Media Certificate program.

This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.