COLUMBIA, SC – South Carolina athletics honored excellent basketball A’ja Wilson with a statue today in front of the Colonial Life Arena, celebrating the legendary career of Hopkins, SC, a native who led the Gamecocks for the NCAA 2017 National Championship, NCAA 2015 Final Four, three SEC regular season championships and four titles SEC tournament.
“A’ja Wilson’s achievements, on and off the basketball court, make this statue so deserving, ”South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner said. “She is an excellent representative of Gamecock Athletics and our university. I am very happy that we can celebrate it that way. Thanks to everyone who helped to do this, including our big donors. “
Made possible by private donations from the late Dodie Anderson, Darius Rucker and Dawn Staley, the bronze statue it is over 11 feet high and stands on a granite base of more than one meter. The figure was sculpted by Julie Rotblatt-Amrany, from The Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt-Amrany in Highwood, Illinois, who did many athletic activities statues, including Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Scottie Pippen. Wilson statue has been in development for almost a year and the installation started on Thursday, January 14th.
Wilson’s statue he is one of only three on the University of South Carolina campus who represents a specific individual. The first woman in the group, she joins Richard T. Greener, the first African-American faculty member at the University, and winner of the Heisman George Rogers Trophy.
Even before Wilson graduated from University and was the No. 1 overall choice in the Draft WNBA 2018 by Las Vegas Aces, the idea of statue was mentioned. With his career at Gamecock including the greatest achievements of the program team, as well as his individual accolades, the project caught on quickly.
“A’ja was a powerful force in our program, our campus and our community through everything she accomplished on the court and the person outside,” said Staley. “This one statue in front of this arena is an equally powerful force. Every young person, especially black girls, can see what is possible through hard work, passion and dedication. “
Wilson crowned his four-year career (2015-18) by becoming the program’s first National Player of the Year, winning the title of all entities that confer him annually. She was South Carolina’s first four-time All-American, earning first team status in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and her first four-time All-SEC team selection. Wilson was the SEC’s first player of the year three times in league history (2016, 2017, 2018) and was the inaugural winner of the Lisa Leslie Award in 2018.
At WNBA, Wilson had an immediate impact, earning the honors of Rookie of the Year and All-Star in his first season (2018). Two years later, she was named WNBA MVP (2020).
Throughout his basketball career, Wilson was a mainstay in US basketball, helping the United States win gold medals at the 2013 FIBA U-19 World Cup, at the 2014 FIBA U-18 World Cup in 2014 , at the 2015 FIFA U-19 World Cup and at the 2018 Fiba World Cup. She is currently in the US National Basketball Team pool, from which the 2021 Olympic Team will be selected.