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Dawn Staley Sends Message to A’ja Wilson After Making Major WNBA History

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rodney Knuppel | Last updated Jun 26, 2025 11:52 AM ET

There’s no doubt Dawn Staley is proud of what she and her staff have built at South Carolina. The Gamecocks are perennial contenders for NCAA Tournament titles and continue to produce professional basketball stars.

One of the brightest is A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces. On Wednesday night, Wilson became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 5,000 career points.

By Thursday morning, Coach Staley was quick to praise her former star.

"Am good peeps! @GamecockWBB own @_ajawilson22 became the fastest player in @WNBA history to reach 5k points!! Congrats A!!! Once a bucket always a bucket! What @WNBA @GamecockWBB player will we post about next?!!"

Am good peeps! @GamecockWBB own @_ajawilson22 became the fastest player in @WNBA history to reach 5k points!! Congrats A!!! Once a bucket always a bucket! What @WNBA @GamecockWBB player will we post about next?!!
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) June 26, 2025

Wilson, 28, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft and has spent her entire career with the Aces. She’s already built a Hall-of-Fame resume. Wilson is a three-time league MVP, a six-time WNBA All-Star and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. She helped lead Las Vegas to two WNBA championships, earning Finals MVP honors in 2023.

While her WNBA career is legendary, her college legacy is just as impressive. Wilson was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in 2017, then swept the top individual honors in 2018: AP Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year and the Wooden Award.

Dawn Staley has found success at every level of the game. As a player, she was a six-time WNBA All-Star, a two-time Naismith College Player of the Year, and the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in 1991. As a coach, she’s won three NCAA championships and made seven Final Four appearances.

Wilson is just one of many Staley-coached players thriving in the WNBA. And with South Carolina’s talent pipeline still going strong, Staley’s question, "Which @GamecockWBB player will we post about next?", might be answered sooner than later.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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