Throughout the past year, scores of current and former local athletes and coaches have taken active roles in the fight against COVID-19 and for social justice. These are just a few of their stories.
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Angel McCoughtry
Ahead of the WNBA season that took place at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., Las Vegas Aces star and former St. Frances standout Angel McCoughtry pushed the league to allow players to wear the names of victims of police brutality on their jerseys.
The WNBA added Breonna Taylor’s name and the phrase “Say Her Name” to all jerseys. Taylor was shot and killed in her apartment by Louisville, Ky., police in March. She was 26. Taylor and her family had been fans of McCoughtry, who starred at Louisville from 2005-2009 before becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft.
“We’re planting a seed,” McCoughtry said in July. “You plant a seed for awareness, to show that we’re still fighting. Her family is ecstatic about the idea that elite athletes will wear her name on the jersey, and it’s something that’s going to grow.”
Photo Credit: Ned Dishman/NBA Photos/Getty Images
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