On Thursday, South Carolina announced a switch from Under Armour to Nike. This comes as the football brings on additional sponsorships for the 2025 season.

One of those thrilled about this partnership is none other than Dawn Staley. On her X account, she couldn't contain her excitement.

“I’m over the moon happy about our new @Nike deal (there are over 30 years of history for me personally)….but I will never forget the contributions and the partnership that helped @GamecockWBB
win national championships….thank you KP and @UnderArmour”

The partnership will commence in 2026 and is set in stone for the next decade. Altogether, South Carolina was partnered with Under Armour for 19 years, dating back to 2007.

The following year, Staley was hired as head coach for women's basketball. Since then, she has become one of the most decorated coaches in history.

Along the way, Staley has led the Gamecocks to three national championships (2017, 2022, 2024). In addition, she has produced some of the best talent in women's basketball including A'ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston, and Kamilla Cardoso.

It turns out, Staley knows a thing or two about being in the company of a major brand such as Nike.

The partnership between Dawn Staley and Nike 

During her playing days, Staley was signed onto to Nike. In 1996, Staley along with Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Leslie were featured in a Spike Lee directed commercial “Freestyle”.

All of which was in promotion of the 1996 Olympic team that went onto to win the gold medal in Atlanta and helped pave the way for the launch of the WNBA.

In 1999, Nike released “Zoom S5”, which became Staley's signature shoe. With this new partnership, South Carolina women's basketball will be able to pay homage to the greats who came before.

Specifically, they will likely don A'ja Wilson's signature shoes as they walk out onto the court.

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