The Golden State Valkyries have so far proven to be the biggest surprise of the season in the WNBA. On Sunday, the team honored women’s basketball legend Dawn Staley, who is also the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks. Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin herself was there and presented the Gamecocks coach with her own custom Golden State Valkyries jersey.
Golden State Valkyries shared a photo and a video of the moment on X, captioning the post:
“Honored to have a legend of our game at Ballhalla tonight. A heartfelt moment shared between GM Ohemaa Nyanin and @GamecockWBB coach @dawnstaley before tip 💜”
Honored to have a legend of our game at Ballhalla tonight.
A heartfelt moment shared between GM Ohemaa Nyanin and @GamecockWBB coach @dawnstaley before tip 💜 pic.twitter.com/goaqpxebXA
— Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) June 30, 2025
In the video, Nyanin was emotional when she entered the room to present the jersey and admitted that Staley had a hand in helping her out early in her career as a WNBA team executive. She is the very first general manager for the Valkyries, and she was very thankful to Staley, not just what she has done to Nyanin personally, but to women’s basketball in general.
“Who you are, what you have done, for this game, for me personally, to want to be just like you and for you to always tell me to be me. To be standing here to give you a jersey that I would never thought I would ever give to you, thank you.” an emotional Ohemaa Nyanin told Dawn Staley.
Staley has guided a lot of current WNBA players during their time at South Carolina, with more possibly to come.
Reports Indicate New York Knicks Are Interested in Dawn Staley as New Head Coach
Meanwhile, with the New York Knicks still trying to find a new head coach, the NBA team may be considering one from women’s basketball. The Knicks are reportedly considering Dawn Staley as an answer to their coaching woes after firing Tom Thibodeau.
Dawn Staley is certainly one of the biggest names in coaching, not just in college women’s basketball, with reports indicating that the Knicks have already reached out to her. However, critics have remained skeptical if her coaching skills can translate to the NBA.
Despite this, Staley has already proven herself to be one of the most successful college coaches out there, with multiple NCAA championships and Final Four appearances, all with South Carolina.
Related: ‘An Anomaly’ – Dawn Staley Calls Caitlin Clark the Toughest Player She’s Coached Against
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