South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley recently joked about returning to the basketball court after receiving a pair of A’Ones. The gifted sneakers — “Leo Lights,” the newest colorway from A’ja Wilson’s signature Nike shoe — officially dropped on May 6.
Wilson played for Staley during her stellar college run at South Carolina, eventually landing with the Las Vegas Aces after going No. 1 overall at the 2018 WNBA Draft. Wilson also featured Staley in a debut commercial for the Nike A’Ones.
Dawn Staley Says ‘I’m Coming Out of Retirement’
Wilson’s signature Nike shoe took two years to develop and launched on May 6 following an announcement about its design elements last February. She made sure every Las Vegas Aces player got a pair of A’Ones, including head coach Becky Hammon.
“We designed the shoe to both accentuate my game and to provide young hoopers a tool to help them push their limits,” Wilson said at the time.
Well, it appears Wilson gifted a pair of A’Ones to Staley. The Gamecocks head coach posted a picture of them unboxed on Instagram, then shared a tongue-in-cheek message: “Got ‘em! I’m coming out of retirement so I can get buckets and stops in my A’Ones.”
Got ‘em! I’m coming out of retirement so I can get buckets and stops in my A’Ones @_ajawilson22 pic.twitter.com/2egf6fZBX3
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) May 31, 2025
Wilson and Staley have a very close relationship, and the 28-year-old has said multiple times that she sees Staley as her “second mom.” Their special bond stems from Wilson’s incredible four seasons at South Carolina.
Playing for Staley, Wilson guided the Gamecocks to their first NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship in 2017 and took home the “Most Outstanding Player” award. In 2018, the 6-foot-5 forward won her third straight SEC Player of the Year award after leading South Carolina to a record fourth straight SEC Tournament championship.
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Wilson became the all-time leading scorer in South Carolina women’s basketball history that year, posting 2,389 points in 138 career games and sweeping all the National Player of the Year awards (Wade, AP, Honda, USBWA, Wooden, Naismith) as the best player in women’s college basketball.
Las Vegas selected her No. 1 overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft, then she proceeded to rack up three WNBA MVP awards while adding a scoring title and six All-Star nods. Wilson has also been voted Defensive Player of the Year twice, in addition to winning back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023.
Meanwhile, Staley has continued her successful run at South Carolina. She guided the Gamecocks to two more national championships after Wilson’s departure while amassing four Naismith Coach of the Year awards.
