Dawn Staley, South Carolina surprise alum A'Ja Wilson with jersey retirement announcement
A’Ja Wilson already has a statue in front of Colonial Life Arena. Now the former South Carolina women’s basketball star is getting her jersey retired, too.
Wilson will have her jersey retired on Feb. 2 when the Gamecocks host Auburn, it was announced on Tuesday.
The news comes a month after A’Ja Wilson won her third WNBA MVP award. She is the fourth player in WNBA history to win three MVPs, joining Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson.
Wilson led South Carolina to its first national title in school history back in 2017 as a part of a historic career. She was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player that season, before winning the National Player of the Year in 2018.
South Carolina announced the news by posting a video with head coach Dawn Staley FaceTiming her former star. You can check it out below:
A’Ja Wilson was a huge building block for Dawn Staley as she helped turn the South Carolina program into arguably the best in the nation.
The Gamecocks have won three national titles under Staley, including this past year’s as South Carolina went undefeated.
As for Wilson, she was named the SEC Player of the Year three times and was the first No. 1 overall pick for the Gamecocks. She is the program’s all-time leading scorer at 2,389 points and still holds a total of 22 program records. She has gone on to be the best player in the WNBA.
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More on South Carolina women’s basketball
South Carolina finished off a perfect 38-0 season in April, beating Iowa in the national championship game to cap off the special year.
The Gamecocks made history last season, becoming just the fifth team ever to go undefeated for an entire season.
South Carolina wasn’t the favorite entering 2023-24 after Dawn Staley had to replace all five starters from the 2022-23 team. However, the Gamecocks were still able to put together an incredible year that included surviving against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament.
The Gamecocks played only one game within single digits in the NCAA Tournament — beating Indiana 79-75 in the Sweet 16.
South Carolina was led by star center Kamilla Cardoso and had several younger players who played a pivotal role throughout the year, including freshmen guards MiLaysia Fulwiley and Tessa Johnson.
While South Carolina had some stars on the offensive end, the Gamecocks really excelled defensively. Staley’s club led the nation in scoring defense, scoring margin and blocked shots per game in 2023-24.
The SEC powers are expected to once again be contenders in 2024-25, despite losing Cardoso.