As USC retires A’ja Wilson jersey, will No. 22 be worn again? Not a chance, Staley says
The South Carolina athletics department’s policy says that players’ jerseys can be retired, but not numbers.
So technically a future player could wear No. 22 despite Gamecock legend A’ja Wilson having her jersey retired on Sunday. But Dawn Staley set the record straight while speaking with reporters Saturday: That won’t ever happen.
“Never,” Staley said. “It’s retired. ... I can officially say that.”
Wilson will have her jersey retired in a ceremony before South Carolina plays Auburn on Sunday. The ceremony will start at 11:30 a.m., and the game will tip off at noon.
“This is a big, big moment,” Wilson said. “I’m super blessed just to be able to say that my jersey’s being in the rafters in my home. Not a lot of people can say that. And just to be able to have everybody come out and just enjoy the moment, and I can share the moment with everyone. It’s gonna be truly, truly special. So I’m excited.”
A Columbia native who starred at Heathwood Hall during her high school days, Wilson said she would’ve never imagined herself having her jersey retired at Colonial Life Arena — much less anything else she’s accomplished in her career.
She’ll be the fifth player in program history to have her jersey retired. The most recent was another Staley-era great, Tiffany Mitchell, who was honored in November 2023.
“I definitely just loved my career here at South Carolina, at Heathwood, and everyone in between,” Wilson said. “So to now see my number go up in the rafters — good Lord, it’s a lot of emotion, it’s a lot of fun. ... I have some great memories here. We’ve had a lot of great times here. So I’m so glad that I can share this moment with everyone.”
Wilson has an extensive basketball resume that includes an illustrious career at South Carolina. She was USC’s first-ever No. 1 recruit, a four-time All-American, three-time SEC Player of the Year, two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year winner, Wooden Award winner and Naismith Award winner.
She helped guide South Carolina to its first national championship win in 2017 and is the program’s all-time leading scorer.
“There’s no one more deserving this week than A’ja,” Staley said. “She legitimized our program. She took it to another level, and we still feel her legacy today. Everybody still talks about her contributions to our program. Everybody’s always comparing what her impact was when she was a student-athlete here. And that’s what legacy is, to be compared to the impact that you had.”
Staley speaks often of Wilson’s impact on the program. That legacy still plays a role in recruiting, the coach said. Having that sort of lasting impact and, in a way, still helping the program win games years after she’s left is “crazy,” Wilson said.
“I just came here, just wanting to win, wanting to just be a sponge to it all,” Wilson said. “To see the legacy, the longevity of this program and where it’s going, I beam garnet and black. I’m just like, ‘That’s our program, that’s what we were built on, that’s our culture.’ “”
It’s not often that a statue comes before a jersey retirement, but that’s the case for Wilson (2014-18), whose statue was unveiled outside of Colonial Life Arena in 2021. There is a five-year waiting period that starts with the final season of collegiate competition for a South Carolina athlete to be considered for a jersey retirement.
Staley thinks everyone would’ve been OK with the jersey retirement happening sooner and joked that the statue is old now. The statue was almost a “prelude” to Wilson — who is now a six-time WNBA All-Star, three-time WNBA champion and three-time WNBA MVP — being honored with a jersey retirement this weekend, Staley said.
“I think it couldn’t have happened at a more appropriate time, with her being the best player in the world, with her having the type of success that she’s had and she’s international,” Staley said. “So again, she’s given our program another platform to elevate.”
USC retired jerseys
FOOTBALL
#1 Alshon Jeffery (2009-11)
#2 Sterling Sharpe (1983, 85-87)
#7 Jadeveon Clowney (2011-13)
#37 Steve Wadiak (1948-51)
#38 George Rogers (1977-80)
#56 Mike Johnson (1964)
MEN’S BASKETBALL
#3 BJ McKie (1996-99)
#11 John Roche (1968-71)
#22 Alex English (1972-76)
#42 Grady Wallace (1955-57)
#43 Kevin Joyce (1970-71)
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
#13 Martha Parker (1985-89)
#14 Shannon Johnson (1992-96)
#22 A’ja Wilson (2014-18)
#25 Tiffany Mitchell (2012-16)
#53 Sheila Foster (1978-82)
BASEBALL
#1 Ray Tanner (1997-2012)
#13 Earl Bass (1972-75)
#14 Kip Bouknight (1998-2001)
SOFTBALL
#11 Trinity Johnson (1995-97)
Joyce Compton (1987-2010)
WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Miki Barber (1999-2003)
Dawn Ellerbe (1992-97)
MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Terrence Trammell (1998-200)
MEN’S SOCCER
Clint Mathis (1994-97)
Charlie Arndt (1985-88)
