Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
These days, both Las Vegas Aces are superstars Aja Wilson and South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley have established themselves at the top of their respective professions.
But back in the late 2010s, both Wilson and Staley struggled to establish themselves as stars with the Gamecocks. Wilson helped Staley win her first NCAA Championship in 2017 when she was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
She followed that up by winning the John Wooden Award a year later and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft.
Fast forward eight years, and Wilson is a four-time WNBA MVP and three-time champion, while Staley has made six straight Final Four appearances and added two more championships to her resume.
The two have maintained a close relationship, even after Wilson took a subtle jab at his former coach late last year.
A’ja Wilson thinks Dawn Staley has gone soft
Wilson appeared on Kylie Kelcie’s “Won’t lie” podcast in November, saying things have changed in South Carolina between the time she left and now.
And she’s not necessarily sure it’s for the better!
“She’s gone soft. It’s funny how soft she’s gone because one, when we were in school, we couldn’t have phones on game days. We literally had to spend a whole day without our phones and go to class,” Wilson said.
“I remember her calling me like “Charmin, oh, you’re just soft; The SEC is going to tough you out,” and I say, “Now you’re Charmin; these kids got you making TikToks; you dance.”
Dawn Staley says A’ja Wilson has gone soft too!
Since that time, Staley went on to lead the Gamecocks to another Final Four, which was highlighted by a midfield clash with legendary UConn coach Geno Auriemma.
But now that Staley has had some time to settle down in the offseason, she has issued her response to Wilson’s claim.
“Have I softened? I’ve grown wiser, haven’t I,” Staley said during a recent media appearance.
“Because you can’t let them beat you at their game, I’ll beat them at their game. A’ja (Wilsons) probably softened too…now that she got a husband, right? She softened a little bit. But I’ll say this – I really enjoy young people. I enjoy taking the journey with them to find themselves. And it’s such a cool process to find out who they really are.”
It seems that the clashes between Wilson and Staley are all in good fun. But it certainly seems that both have softened since their days together in South Carolina, though that might be for the best.
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