South Carolina Women's Basketball coach and basketball legend Dawn Staley is all over the place. In late April, the city of Columbia honored Staley with a statue celebrating her accomplishments for the state and the sport. 

Her recently published memoir  “Uncommon Favor: Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three” is on the New York Times best-seller list. Staley was inducted into the International Basketball Federation's Hall of Fame, celebrating her accomplishments on the international stage as a three-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIBA World Cup winner. 

But is she looking to lace them back up and hit the floor again?

Apparently so, at least to rock one of her favorite player's new kicks. On Friday, Staley posted on X that she purchased A'ja Wilson's latest Nike signature, A'Ones. The caption read, “Got ‘em! I’m coming out of retirement so I can get buckets and stops in my A’Ones @_ajawilson22″. 

The latest expression of affection from Staley to Wilson. A bond that has only gotten stronger over the years. 

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Dawn Staley and A'ja Wilson put South Carolina on the map.

When Staley became South Carolina's head coach in 2008, the program was in disarray. They struggled to achieve any real success. Plus, South Carolina played before empty arenas and had no real fanbase. 

All that began to turn around with Staley at the helm. In 2017, a young A'ja Wilson became the national player of the year as the Gamecocks won their first national championship. 

Since then, Staley and the Gamecocks have won three national championships. In 2024, they went 38-0 en route to the title. Along the way, Staley has produced a pipeline of talent going from college to the pros.

Among them include Wilson, Aliyah Boston, and Kamilla Cardoso. It all got started back in 2017 with Wilson, and the love between player and coach never wavered.