South Carolina basketball nominated for three different ESPY Awards

The South Carolina basketball program is the best in the country right now.

The Gamecocks have won three National Championships since 2017 (and were the overwhelming favorites to win at the end of the 2019-2020 season before the Covid-19 sports shutdown); no other team has won more than one during that time.

They also have sent the most talent to the professional ranks in recent years, seeing three alums make the WNBA All-Star Game last year. Carolina legend A'ja Wilson is also the undisputed best player in the world and is in line for her third MVP this season.

With the team's success at the college level and the clear development for the professional level, it should come as no surprise that the South Carolina Gamecocks have received three nominations for the 2024 ESPY Awards.

During July's award show, the 2023-2024 undefeated National Champion Gamecocks will be up for the Best Team trophy, while A'ja Wilson could win both the Best WNBA Player honor and the Best Athlete, Women's Sports award.

The ESPYs (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) are awarded annually by ESPN, and South Carolina basketball has won an honor from the worldwide leader as A'ja Wilson won the award for Best WNBA Player in 2023 (she also has received several other nominations over the years). The national championship teams from 2016-2017 and 2021-2022 were nominated for ESPYs, and Aliyah Boston was once nominated for Best College Athlete, Women's Sports. Gamecock head coach Dawn Staley won the first-ever ESPY for Best Female College Basketball Player (when she played for the Virginia Cavaliers) back in 1993 before the award was discontinued in 2001.

The 2024 ESPYs will be broadcast live on ABC on Thursday, July 11th at 8:00 PM ET. The award show also will be available for streaming on the ESPN app.