South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley is ecstatic over the incoming new era of her program under the lead of her former player A’ja Wilson. On Saturday, Aug. 23, Staley shared the Las Vegas Aces’ post on her own X/Twitter account, which features her former star and now three-time regular-season WNBA MVP Wilson.
The post is captioned with, “Mark ya calendars. The countdown begins,” which is a direct nod to the recent announcement that the Gamecocks, beyond women’s basketball and into all of its athletic departments, will have all of its gear supplied by global sportswear brand Nike, starting July 1, 2026. With this, Wilson was captured with a pre-game outfit that teases this exciting time for Staley and the Gamecocks.
“Her is pretty. Her is smart. Her is really really good. Her is a business. Her “stuff” is coming home,” Staley captioned with a plethora of emojis.
Her is pretty. Her is smart. Her is really really good. Her is a business. Her “stuff” is coming home. 🐔🤙🏽🐔🤙🏽 https://t.co/YllG3erqmc
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) August 23, 2025
Wilson, in the photo posted by the Aces, is then seen wearing a white shirt that reads, “7. 1.26,” which is the date when her alma mater will start to be represented by Nike, to go along with black pants, a brown purse, and white sneakers.
This ends a lengthy 19-year partnership between the University of South Carolina and Under Armour, wherein the deal is set to expire on June 30, 2026. Under Armour started off as the primary supplier of the Gamecocks’ football team in 2007, but has since branched out to all of the school’s athletic departments, including Staley’s women’s basketball squad.
Read More: ‘THANK YOU A’JA WILSON’ ‘Sellouts’: Fans React As Dawn Staley and Shame Beamer’s South Carolina End $71M Under Armour Deal for Nike
The South Carolina Gamecocks’ basketball teams are set to primarily wear A’ja Wilson’s sneakers
In a report by Alex Byington of On3, the South Carolina Gamecocks’ basketball teams are slated to wear A’ja Wilson’s signature models from the 2026-27 season onwards. In May of this year, Wilson released her first-ever signature sneaker with Nike, the Nike A’One, which has since been regarded as one of the most popular basketball sneakers of the year.
The report by On3 then indicated that there is a clause entitled “A’ja Wilson Integration” in the Gamecocks’ contract with Nike. This will likely be utilized with the second release from Wilson’s signature line, the A’Two, next year.
Also Read: “Remember Coach Staley Used to Yell at Me”: When South Carolina HC’s Motivational Lesson Helped A’ja Wilson Create Iconic A’One Shoes
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