$12 million worth Dawn Staley expresses pride for the success of A’ja Wilson’s A’One

Dawn Staley recently visited the Nike store in Las Vegas and was struck by the sight of A’ja Wilson’s image prominently displayed throughout the space. The visit came as Nike promotes the former South Carolina star’s first signature shoe, the A’One.

The Gamecocks head coach shared photos from her visit to the Nike store on Instagram, using the moment to express her pride in Wilson.

“@aja22wilson pulled up at the Nike store in Las Vegas to see your movement and it is stunning. So proud of you and the impact you just keep having on US US US!! Nike thank you for doing your BIG A’One for her!,” Staley wrote in the caption of the post.

Wilson and Staley share a close bond from their time together at South Carolina between 2014 and 2018, when the coach led the program to its first national title in 2017.

The center was a key member of that team, eventually playing 138 games under Staley, and she exploded in her senior year, winning the National Player of the Year award after averaging a college career-high 22.6 points per game.

Selected by the Las Vegas Aces as No. 1 in 2018, Wilson has already made her mark in the WNBA, winning two WNBA titles and three MVP awards.

Nike teased the launch of Wilson’s signature shoe in February but did not announce the official release until May, posting a commercial video on Saturday to announce the release date. Wilson has joined WNBA legends like Sabrina Ionescu and Sheryl Swoopes, who also got signature sneakers from Nike.

The Nike A’One will officially launch in the “Pink A’ura” colorway, though other colors are expected to roll out as the season progresses. It will be available exclusively through the Nike SNKRS app from May 15, and it will retail at $110 for adult sizes and $90 for big kids.

Staley has consistently celebrated the success of her former players, regardless of how much her own profile has grown over the years. Now reportedly worth $12 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, the South Carolina head coach’s value reflects the impact she has made with the Gamecocks on and off the court.

Dawn Staley joins A’ja Wilson with statue honor at South Carolina

South Carolina honored Dawn Staley with a statue, making her the second figure from the women’s basketball program to receive such recognition, following A’ja Wilson in 2021.

Unveiled on April 30, the statue is situated just half a mile from Wilson’s, near Colonial Life Arena, the home court of the Gamecocks.

Staley has won three NCAA titles and four Naismith Coach of the Year awards, while she has recorded 475 wins as the program’s coach.