PHOENIX — Flavor Flav, the 67-year-old founding member of hip‑hop group Public Enemy and a well‑known supporter of women’s athletics, was courtside at the NCAA women’s Final Four on Friday night as UConn and South Carolina met in the opening semifinal.
Seated beside former South Carolina standout Aliyah Boston, Flav was one of several celebrities in attendance at the Footprint Center as two of the sport’s premier programs battled. The appearance came on the heels of a busy winter for Flav, who has repeatedly publicized his backing of female athletes and attended multiple Olympic events this season.
Flav’s connection to women’s basketball runs deeper than a casual fandom. He is a friend of South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and has cultivated a reputation as an outspoken promoter of women’s sports. Earlier this year he invited members of the U.S. women’s ice hockey team to Las Vegas after their February gold‑medal victory — a gesture that came soon after the team declined an invitation to visit Washington.
The Final Four in Phoenix pairs four of the tournament’s top programs; UConn, South Carolina, UCLA and Texas each reached the last weekend of the NCAA tournament. Friday’s slate opened with the UConn‑South Carolina matchup, a high‑profile semifinal that drew an energized crowd and amplified media attention in a season that has seen rising interest in the women’s college game.
Celebrity attendance at marquee women’s sporting events has become more common and is often credited with boosting visibility for the athletes and the sport. Flav’s presence — notable both for his entertainment pedigree and his history of tangible support for women’s teams — underlines the way public figures can help spotlight women’s competitions beyond traditional sports audiences.
While the focus on the court remains the players and coaches contending for a national championship, appearances by high‑profile supporters reinforce the growing commercial and cultural momentum around women’s basketball. For Flav, who has used his platform to celebrate and support female athletes across multiple disciplines, Friday night’s courtside seat was another public show of that commitment.