Dawn Staley Sends A'ja Wilson Message on Wednesday
South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley has an notable relationship with her former player and Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson.
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The pair led the school to their first-ever National Championship in 2017. Following one more season in South Carolina, Wilson ended her collegiate career as a three-time SEC Player of the Year, NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and Naismith College Player of the Year.
Now, Staley is repaying the favor to her former superstar.
'Little @GamecockWBB camp day 3,' the 55-year-old wrote on X on Wednesday. 'It's @ajawilson22 A'One Day! Our campers showed up and out in their A'Ones and I'm here for it all.'
Staley's campers can be seen all wearing Wilson's signature 'A'One,' Nike shoes, which resembles the countless number of young athletes the Aces center has inspired to play basketball.
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'Keep inspiring our youth A!' Staley added. 'Love.'
The sneakers themselves are immensely popular with fans because they sold out in less than five minutes of releasing online on May 5, according to USA Today writer Scooby Axson.
'Gods been working overtime,' Wilson wrote in an Instagram post from May of her holding a pink pair of the shoes.
As her sneakers have had a profound impact on fans, she has done the same on the court this season. The 28-year-old is averaging 22 points and 9.9 rebounds per game in the seven appearances she's made so far for Las Vegas this season.
Dawn Staley celebrates with A'ja Wilson in 2018.© Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
Her popularity has even helped the Aces set the Michelob Ultra Arena attendance record with 17,406 fans, according to a Sports Business Journal report. In 2024, Las Vegas averaged 11,283 fans per game.
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Related: Dawn Staley Reveals Personal Chat With A'ja Wilson's Mom After Terrible South Carolina Debut
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
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