By Nadia Garabedian

On Thursday February 20th, 2025, the University of California Los Angeles Women’s Basketball team played their annual Play4Kay game against the Illinois Fighting Illini to raise funds and bring awareness to those battling cancer. 

Play4Kay is a part of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, which is a national non-profit organization that was started by North Carolina Women’s Basketball coach, Sandra Kay Yow, in 2007 to raise awareness and funds for women currently battling breast cancer, as well as other cancers affecting women. Yow battled her own fight with cancer; however, her legacy in starting Kay Yow Cancer Fund and Play4Kay has been honored continuously through womens’ college basketball. This organization aims to raise funds, as well as raise awareness for cancer warriors and survivors all across the country. 

On Thursday, the Bruins honored these warriors at the Play4Kay game by wearing pink shoes, pink ribbons in their hair, as well as pink shirts during warm-up. The opposing team, the Fighting Illini, also wore pink shoes to honor cancer warriors. Furthermore, to show support, fans and the UCLA Marching Band, the Solid Gold Sound, wore Play4Kay shirts to honor those who previously fought and currently are fighting cancer. Fans received pink pompoms to wave and the UCLA Spirit Squad also performed with pink pompoms. The scoreboard was also pink to honor the Play4Kay game. 

Together, the Bruins and Fighting Illini participated in a ceremony honoring loved ones who they were playing for by walking with signs that read “I am playing for_____.” Players were accompanied by cancer warriors during this ceremony and at the announcement of the starting lineup, as well. 

To raise funds, there was a silent auction, as well as the ability for individuals to make donations. These donations will be used to further cancer research and care, specifically breast cancer, at UCLA.