Aaliyah Gayles, the USC women’s basketball guard, carries her history on her skin, with tattoos that narrate a story of survival, resilience and determination. Each piece of ink reflects a chapter of her life, including a harrowing event that tested her strength and willpower.
On her left shoulder, a tattoo records the time 11:52 p.m., signifying the moment her life was altered. Over a year after Gayles, 18 at the time, was shot 18 times at a house party in Las Vegas, the case remains unsolved with no arrests made, as Katie Barnes of ESPN reported. Despite the lack of closure, Gayles has not let the April 2022 incident hinder her progress. She carries the philosophy “Everything happens for a reason, whether good or bad,” inked into her skin as a testament to that.
The shooting, which occurred when Gayles was still in high school, was a traumatic episode that could have ended her athletic career before it even began. Gayles had already committed to play basketball at USC at that point. The physical and emotional scars from that night have been transformative. While some athletes might shy away from such a painful reminder, Gayles chose to embed her experience into her identity with ink.
Among her tattoos is a collection that honors her family and personal history—the Roman numerals of her father’s birthday, a butterfly matching one with her mother and her personal logo “AG3.” A tribute to her grandfather and the phrase “Only the strong survive” also declare her perseverance through adversity.
“I feel like they’re art that explains a person,” Gayles said. And as for her scars, “It reminds me of a warrior.”
Gayles’s favorite scar from the shooting, running from behind her knee down her shin, remains uncovered — a deliberate choice to keep the memory of her ordeal and her fight to recover visible to the world.
The young athlete’s tattoos go beyond aesthetic appeal; they are a declaration of her journey back to the court. After the shooting, Gayles faced a grueling recovery process. Despite the trauma, she was determined to play basketball for the USC Trojans—a dream she refused to let go of even when her physical capabilities were in doubt.
Today, as she trains with her teammates and prepares for the upcoming basketball season, Gayles’s tattoos serve as a reminder of what she has overcome.
“Aaliyah is more than just a player to us,” said USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. “Her experience, her strength, her perspective—it all adds depth to our team. She has shown us what it means to fight back and to cherish the opportunity to play.”
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