Veteran South Carolina WBB forward entering transfer portal
South Carolina women’s basketball forward Sakima Walker is entering the transfer portal.
On3 Sports’ Talia Goodman reported on Tuesday that Walker was entering with portal with a “do not contact” tag, which generally indicates a player already has their next destination in mind.
SB Nation’s Mitchell Northam also reported Walker is in the portal.
Walker is USC’s first portal departure of the 2025 cycle. She posted to social media about her decision, saying: “So much love for my time at South Carolina! Huge thank you to Coach Staley, the entire staff, my teammates, and especially the FAMs-y’all are the heart of this program and our biggest support system. From day one, you welcomed me like family, and I’ll never forget that. Grateful for every moment, every lesson, and every bit of love. Nothing but respect and appreciation for this chapter, forever a gamecock.”
She just wrapped up her fifth year of playing college basketball. The last two seasons have been in Columbia with the Gamecocks as a reserve.
This year, Walker dealt with injuries and only played in 15 games, averaging 5.6 minutes of play and 1.4 points per game.
Before her time with South Carolina, Walker was the 2023 NJCAA D1 Player of the Year in her lone year at the JUCO level with Northwest Florida State. Prior to that, Walker spent her freshman and sophomore seasons at Rutgers.
Walker can play next year after the NCAA granted a blanket waiver for former JUCO players out of eligibility this year to be eligible for the in the 2025-26 school year.
Walker has played in 46 games during her two years at South Carolina and never started a game. Last year she averaged 7.5 minutes of play in 31 games.
This story was originally published April 8, 2025 at 4:09 PM.
