Chloe Kitts will officially miss her final season with the South Carolina Gamecocks — and likely what would be her rookie season in the WNBA as well — with an ACL injury, the team announced Monday. The news followed days of speculation after Kitts was spotted wearing a knee brace while attending a game this month.
The update is a tough one for both Kitts and the Gamecocks. South Carolina meant to rally around Kitts, who has played a crucial role for the team in recent years. She was a starter for the last two seasons and helped push the team to back-to-back national title game appearances, including the 2024 championship.
It also calls into question what exactly will happen for Kitts in the 2026 WNBA Draft — especially since many believed she has the potential to be a high first-round pick. Athletes who suffer ACL tears are typically out of play for at least a year, which means Kitts will also miss the season entirely — if she’s drafted while being injured at all.
(Kitts, who turns 22 on August 5, is eligble for the 2026 Draft should she choose to declare.)
Unlike other players who have suffered injuries in recent years, Kitts doesn’t have another year of availability left that would allow her to return to South Carolina next season. She graduated from high school early and joined the Gamecocks for the 2022-23 season, and this 2025-26 season would have been her final year of eligibility.
Chloe Kitts may be able to explore redshirting this season
There is one option potentially available: Kitts could seek a medical redshirt and play for another year with the Gamecocks. It’s unclear how appealing that is at the moment (Kitts will have surgery this week), but coming back for yet another season of college basketball could also help her chances of being drafted into the WNBA once she’s fully healed.
South Carolina will debut a new starting roster this season
The loss of Kitts on the floor means South Carolina will have to reconfigure the team’s starting lineup. At present, it’s anticipated that Raven Johnson, Ta’Niya Latson, Tessa Johnson, Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot will all hit the court for the team.
Kitts’ injury also means the Gamecocks will be working with a roster of only 10 healthy players, and perhaps more crucially, only has three forwards — Edwards, Maryam Dauda, and Adhel Tac.