The enthralling journey to win an ESPYS award started yesterday with the reveal of the nominee names and the opening of the voting lines. Just like every year, this year the WNBA rocked with names like Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson. While A’ja Wilson and Clark were expected, Dawn Staley’s name was a surprise. However, this is not the first time Staley is being considered for an ESPY award.

Back in 1993, Dawn Staley was awarded as the female college basketball player by the ESPYS. After 31 years, Staley is again set for an ESPYS award. But what is she being honored for this time?

Staley’s inspiration behind advocacy

Dawn Staley has been mentioned for the “Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.” To share this news among the spectators, ESPN shared on X, “ESPN reveals special honorees for The 2024 @ESPYS presented by Capital One @SteveGleason | Arthur Ashe Award for Courage @dawnstaley | Jimmy V Award for Perseverance Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex | Pat Tillman Award for Service.”

Hailing from Philadelphia, Staley has managed to shine bright both on and off the court. With a tally of three Olympic golds, Staley features as the first person to win the Naismith Award both as a head coach and basketball star. While she features such achievements on the court, the South Carolina Gamecocks head coach is awarded for her off-court accomplishments.

The Jimmy V Award of the ESPYS is given to a “deserving member of the sporting world who has overcome great obstacles through perseverance and determination“. Notably, Staley is being honored for her role in the fight against cancer and advocacy for women’s sports. “I’m grateful to ESPN for their coverage and the honor of this award,” Staley said in a statement.

Back in 2021, Staley’s sister Tracey Underwood experienced swollen glands and immense pain in her throat and groin. After being hospitalized for 30 days, her sister was finally diagnosed with FLT3 mutation leukemia. “We knew then that she needed to have a bone marrow transplant,” added Staley.

There was an urgent need for a donor, and the search started from home. Luckily, Staley’s oldest brother was a 10/10 match for her sister. After a series of consultations, Staley finally got her sister’s transplant done at Duke. But, to recover, Tracey needed chemo. “They wanted to give her four rounds of chemo. This chemo kicked her butt,” said Staley. However, Tracey healed with time, but throughout the process, Dawn Staley realized not everyone was as lucky as her.

“If I can take anything away from the experience, it’s being an advocate,” she told andscape.com. Since then, she has been an outspoken advocate for “Be the Match”, a platform that encourages people to donate bone marrow. Fortunately, the ESPYs recognized Staley’s off-court hard work and listed her beside Steve Gleason and Prince Harry as special honorees. But how did the Jimmy V Award come into being?

Life a la Jim Valvano

Just like Staley, the Jimmy V Award has an emotional tale of Jim Valvano behind it. After dealing with glandular cancer for a year, Valvano announced the creation of the V Foundation at the ESPYS in March 1993. Meanwhile, he also gave the message, “Don’t ever give up…Cancer can take away all my physical abilities.”

He added, “It cannot touch my mind. It cannot touch my heart. And it cannot touch my soul…And those three things are going to carry on forever.” Unfortunately, this was two months before his death from cancer. Since then, the ESPYS have been helping to raise funds for Valvano’s V Foundation for cancer research.

Until now, ESPN has helped people with over $200 million in the last three decades. Coming back to Staley, undoubtedly she shares the same mindset behind the initiative started by the late N. C. State coach Valvano. On July 11th, she’ll be receiving the honor from tennis legend Serena Williams. Is she the right one for the Jimmy V Award? Comment down below!

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.