![\"Dawn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Aja-Wilson-Dawn-Staley.jpg\")
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Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n
These days, both Las Vegas Aces superstar\u00a0A\u2019ja Wilson\u00a0and South Carolina women\u2019s basketball coach Dawn Staley\u00a0have established themselves at the peak of their respective professions.<\/p>\n
But back in the late 2010s, both Wilson and Staley were fighting 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\u2019s Most Outstanding Player.<\/p>\n
She followed that up by winning the John Wooden Award a year later and went No. 1 overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The two have maintained a close relationship, even after Wilson took a subtle jab at her former coach late last year.<\/p>\n
A\u2019ja Wilson Thinks Dawn Staley Has Gone Soft<\/p>\n
Wilson appeared on Kylie Kelcie\u2019s \u201cNot Gonna Lie<\/a>\u201d podcast in November and said that things have changed at South Carolina between the time she left and now.<\/p>\n And she\u2019s not necessarily sure it\u2019s for the better!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s gotten soft. It\u2019s ridiculous how soft she\u2019s gotten because one when we were in school we couldn\u2019t have phones on game days. We had to literally spend a whole day without our phones and go to classes,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember her calling me like, \u2018Charmin, oh, you\u2019re just soft; the SEC needs to rough you up\u2019 and I\u2019m like, \u2018Now you\u2019re Charmin; these kids got you doing TikToks; you\u2019re dancing.\u201d<\/p>\n Dawn Staley Says A\u2019ja Wilson Has Gone Soft Too!<\/p>\n Since that point, Staley went on to lead the Gamecocks to another Final Four, which was highlighted by a mid-court showdown<\/a> with legendary UConn coach Geno Auriemma.<\/p>\n But now that Staley has had some time to settle down in the offseason, she\u2019s issued her response to Wilson\u2019s claim.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n