A’ja Wilson, Tiffany Mitchell talk reuniting in Vegas, USC pranks and more
For the first time in nearly a decade, A’ja Wilson and Tiffany Mitchell are teammates again. The two overlapped for two seasons at South Carolina (2014-15 and 2015-16) and are now both members of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces.
The two Gamecocks greats sat down for an interview with each other, posted online by the Aces on Wednesday, and talked about everything from pranking Dawn Staley to having their college jerseys retired.
Here are some of the highlights:
Reuniting in Vegas
Wilson said she couldn’t miss the opportunity to reunite with Mitchell on the court. Sure enough, she lobbied for Mitchell before she was signed by the Aces back in February.
“When this year came around and (Aces head coach Becky Hammon) was throwing out names and she was like, ‘Hey, what you think? What you think?’ and when your name came up on the board, I was like, ‘Yes!’ It was an automatic yes for me,” Wilson said.
Mitchell is in her 10th season in the WNBA. Her pro career started in 2016 after she was drafted No. 9 overall by the Indiana Fever. Mitchell earned All-Rookie honors that year. She spent seven seasons with the Fever before playing with the Minnesota Lynx for the 2023 season. Mitchell’s 2024 campaign with the Connecticut Sun was cut short as she missed the second half of the season while recovering from sepsis and abdominal issues.
“I am so happy to have you as my teammate again,” Wilson said to Mitchell. “ … I gotta say this off my chest because I’ve never said it to your face, but the things and the strength that you had has taught me a lot. But also I felt like I was just being your cheerleader, and I hated that I had to be it from afar. But seeing the strength that you had, Tiff, the power that you been through, and the breakthrough that you had, I am so grateful. So grateful to be sitting next to you today and in years to come, because you were a true warrior.”
Building the foundation at South Carolina
Wilson and Mitchell’s college years coincided with coach Dawn Staley and South Carolina’s rise to college basketball power. Mitchell was a member of the first Gamecocks team to make a Final Four and Wilson was on the team that claimed the program’s first national title.
“Being a part of those kind of building blocks, taking that chance and kind of going through the trenches, to see the evolution of where it is now, it was all worth it,” Mitchell said. “It was all worth it for me. I loved every part.”
Staley has repeatedly said Wilson helped legitimize the program and, in the Aces’ interview, Wilson said Mitchell’s decision to play at USC helped lead her there as well.
“People looked at you crazy for committing to South Carolina,” Wilson said to Mitchell. “I had that same feel. You helped me take a chance and also believe, OK, Coach Staley’s got some things going on, like she’s putting the pieces together. We may not see it now, but long term, this could be something great.”
A couple of pranksters?
Wilson and Mitchell were roommates at South Carolina and apparently were known to get up to some high jinks during their college days. The two described themselves as “menaces” while they were Gamecocks.
“You’re gonna learn Tiffany Mitchell is a lot of fun,” Wilson said. “She’s a lot of fun. She’s a prankster, she’s a trickster. Everything in between.”
Based on the short anecdote shared by Wilson, it would appear Staley was the victim of the pranks more often than not.
“We would break into Coach Staley’s room right after shootaround,” Wilson said. “We would rush up to her room, literally do anything we can — take anything, move anything, knock off the pillows — and then leave. We may leave her notes, we may not. To this day, she probably just realizes it was us.”
One prank apparently involved stealing Staley’s car.
Yes, you read that correctly.
“We love Coach Staley so much. That is why we loved pranking her. Didn’t you steal her car one time?” Wilson said
“Oh, we’re gonna go there?” Mitchell said through a laugh.
“Tiff also stole her car one day after practice,” Wilson said. “I was the distraction. … Fun times in college, because we had those, some that we can’t even speak on.”
Two greats chat jersey retirements
Both Wilson and Mitchell have their jerseys retired and hanging in the rafters of Colonial Life Arena.
Mitchell had an illustrious four years at South Carolina. She was a three-time All-American, three-time All-SEC player and won the SEC Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons (2013-14 and 2014-15). Mitchell’s No. 25 jersey was retired in 2023.
“Going back to Tiffany’s jersey retirement, I don’t think I screamed as loud ever before in that arena,” Wilson said. “I was so happy for you. Like you’re talking about deserving, that was deserving … the university gave you your flowers and retired that 2-5, because it’s needed.”
Wilson, like Mitchell, had a college career for the record books. Her accolades include four All-American selections, a Wooden award, a Naismith award, being named the SEC Player of the Year three times and winning a national title in 2017, among others. Wilson’s No. 22 jersey was retired in February.
“The fact that (Wilson’s) able to be so successful and sustain that success is great,” Mitchell said. “The fact that the university was able to give me my flowers at the time, and then followed it up giving you your flowers, (it was) very much deserved.”
This story was originally published June 6, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
