A'ja Wilson Overcome With Emotion As South Carolina Retires Her Number

A special honor for the basketball legend.

A'ja Wilson's jersey is retired by South Carolina | Screengrab via @WNBA on X

A'ja Wilson is a basketball legend. Her icon status was cemented even further Sunday when South Carolina lifted her No. 22 jersey into the rafters at Colonial Life Arena.

Wilson has dominated every level in basketball, becoming an NCAA champion as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player in 2017. Since then, she's won three WNBA MVPs and two championships with the Las Vegas Aces, including six All-Star appearances and being named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year twice. She's won two gold medals with Team USA, too.

The accomplishments are endless. So it was no shock that the Gamecocks decided to retire her number forever, it was just a matter of when. She already has a statue outside of South Carolina's basketball stadium, but seeing the fresh banner at Colonial Life Arena was bound to bring out all the feels.

Official 🥹 @_ajawilson22 | @GamecockWBB pic.twitter.com/v63tU5PSgy

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 2, 2025

A South Carolina legend 💐

From bringing the @GamecockWBB program its first ever National Championship, to the countless achievements on the highest levels, A’ja Wilson’s #22 is now in the rafters at Colonial Life Arena pic.twitter.com/RmAtL8XN2h

— WNBA (@WNBA) February 2, 2025

The current South Carolina squad was fired up for their school's legend, adorned in custom warm-up t-shirts for the occasion:

Whole squad hyped for A'ja ❤️ @GamecockWBB pic.twitter.com/wHfF2HQqlj

— espnW (@espnW) February 2, 2025

South Carolina picked the proper day to hang up Wilson's No. 22 for good, on Feb. 2. Of course no other Gamecock would wear Wilson's number. Now it's official. Truly a special honor for the basketball legend.

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