March 3, 2026
Three of Staley’s former players are currently stuck in Israel, where many play during WNBA off-season.
Dawn Staley has called upon the sports community to pray for the safe return home of former Black Gamecocks players.
Tiffany Mitchell, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, and Destiny Littleton, former players with the South Carolina Gamecocks, are currently trapped in Israel. Now, their former coach is using her platform and influence to see about their safe return. The female athletes remain stuck in the Middle East amid air strikes happening between Iranian, Israeli, and American forces.
Tensions appear to be on the rise, with additional air strikes spreading throughout neighboring countries like the United Arab Emirates. Amid the geopolitical conflict, Staley has made a public cry for help in getting these women home.
Please pray for our @GamecockWBB @TiffMitch25 @2121Mikiah @dstnylttltn24 who are in a war zone in Israel!! We are working a plan to get home. Let us pray for our loved ones to return home safely asap! Thank you in advance. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) February 28, 2026
“Please pray for our @GamecockWBB @TiffMitch25 @2121Mikiah @dstnylttltn24 who are in a war zone in Israel,” expressed the award-winning coach. “We are working a plan to get home. Let us pray for our loved ones to return home safely asap! Thank you in advance.”
The three women all play for teams within Israel’s top women’s basketball league. Since the missiles between the feuding nations were launched, the airspace throughout the Middle East has shut down. Currently, the women remain unable to escape the area, like many U.S. citizens currently abroad.
Littleton shed more light on social media about her current predicament, as many in Israel follow orders to find sufficient shelter from the air raids. The professional athlete has kept her followers updated by posting videos with sirens overheard in the background.
Update : I’m safe pic.twitter.com/OioW4Auyfu
— Destiny Littleton (@dstnylttltn24) February 28, 2026
“I’m just trying to stay calm,” Littleton said in one video. “I really don’t want to even be out here on the streets. I’ll keep you updated.”
Littleton detailed her journey to a safe room during the warning sirens. She even showed footage of potential bombs flying in the air, while hearing another one go off while recording. The Team USA women’s basketball player also spoke to ESPN about the circumstances she and others face as they try to find a safe departure.
“I am doing all right — shaken up but blessed to be safe. There are current options being looked at and [we’ll] know more information once we have executed those options to safely get out.”
However, a swift return seems unlikely for Littleton and fellow Gamecocks players. Especially with confirmation that the first wave of strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alongside dozens of schoolchildren and civilians, the U.S. State Department has encouraged Americans to shelter in place as the situation unfolds.
While Staley tries to work with government officials to bring her former players home, she later thanked her supporters for keeping the young women in their prayers.
Thank you everyone for praying for our @GamecockWBB players and family members. Please keep them covered in prayer until they are home! Appreciate it! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) March 1, 2026
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