Kamilla Cardoso's ex-coach Dawn Staley courtside in Chicago Sky game, cheers for former South Carolina players

Days after jokingly claiming to want to fight A'ja Wilson after the Aces star blocked Kamilla Cordoso's shot, Dawn Staley was at Gateway Center Arena as the ex-Gamecocks star faced off against the Atlanta Dream.

As Cardoso won the tip-off, Staley got up from her courtside seat to cheer for the Chicago Sky center.

Chicago led by three points at the first buzzer but the Dream outscored them by one in the second. Nothing separated the two teams in the third, but late-game mistakes allowed Chicago to widen the gap and win the game 85-77.

Chennedy Carter posted 26 points while Angel Reese delivered 12 points and 19 rebounds. Kamilla Cardoso neared a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds.

Cardoso is averaging 8.4 points and 7.5 rebounds in her first WNBA season. But he's struggling to shoot the ball as she finds her footing in the big league after being selected third overall in the 2024 draft.

Under Dawn Staley, Cardoso dominated the paint and won two NCAA titles while stacking multiple individual honors.

Dawn Staley is set to receive an award for her perseverance at the 2024 ESPYs

After garnering the topmost awards in the coaching world, Dawn Staley will be honored for her off-court ventures on Jul. 11 at the ESPY Awards.

Staley is set to receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance in light of her advocacy for bone marrow donors and cancer research. Staley will be the first woman to be honored with the award since Kay Yow (NC State’s coach at the time) in 2007.

Staley actively promotes cancer screenings due to learning from her personal life. Her former assistant coach, Nikki McCray-Penson, and sister, Tracey Underwood, were diagnosed with cancer in recent years.

Additionally, she is also one of the leading faces of the Be the Match initiative. It promotes patient care, research, resources and awareness around bone marrow while encouraging people to be bone marrow donors.