The WNBA's regular season is ramping up, as the second weekend of game action got underway. The league includes a large representation of former South Carolina Gamecocks, as Dawn Staley has 12 former players in the WNBA this season. The number is a program-record for the Gamecocks.
Over the weekend, several Gamecocks lit up the scoreboards, with one even setting league records. Let's dive in!
We'll start with the WNBA's reigning MVP, A'ja Wilson. She has already cemented herself as one of the greatest women's basketball players of all time, but she keeps setting records anyway. During the Las Vegas Aces' 101-94 victory over the Connecticut Sun, Wilson dropped 45 points, adding three boards with three assists.
She shot 15-of-18 from the floor, and made all 13 free throws attempts in the victory. It was the fifth 40-point performance in her career, which is the most in WNBA history. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that she became the only player in league history to drop 45 or more points while shooting 80% from the floor.
Against the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, Wilson added 20 points with six rebounds and two blocks. She helped lead her team to an 85-84 victory, as the reigning WNBA Champion Aces improved to 4-1 on the season. Oh, and she also casually passed her current head coach, Becky Hammond, in all-time career points:
𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗗 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗦 💫
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) May 17, 2026
A'ja Wilson passes @BeckyHammon for 19th in all-time career points!@_ajawilson22 // #ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/OgAEuSZhMR
Not too shabby for just Wilson's ninth season in the league!
Although the Dream fell to the Aces, it was a strong showing for a couple of former South Carolina players. Former first-round pick from 2017, guard Allisha Gray, led the way for the Dream in the loss, scoring 25 points with another nine rebounds. Her teammate, Te-Hina Paopao, also had a big night, finishing with 19 points, two rebounds and two assists.
It was also a huge outing for rookie center Madina Okot. The first-rounder put up her first-ever career double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and a block. She earned player of the game honors from the Dream.
HER FIRST WNBA DOUBLE-DOUBLE! Madina Okot is your Player of the Game
— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) May 17, 2026
Presented by Albert pic.twitter.com/jqH6tdIv75
During the Chicago Sky's 86-79 victory over the Minnesota Lynx, center Kamilla Cardoso led her team with 11 points, 12 rebounds and four assists with another three blocks. Cardoso is averaging 12 points per game with 10.3 rebounds per game for Chicago so far this season.
Indiana Fever rookie Raven Johnson played 17 minutes during her team's 89-78 win over the Seattle Storm on Sunday, she didn't score a basket, but showed off her defensive skills with a lethal block early in the game:
Raven Johnson says NOPE. pic.twitter.com/9Gs3ks9sWy
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 17, 2026
The Storm's Zia Cooke added 13 points with four assists in the loss.
Congrats to all the former Gamecocks who had themselves a huge weekend! Can't wait to see what every former South Carolina player does this season as the WNBA season heats up this summer.
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