Injured A'ja Wilson, wearing Dawn Staley T-shirt, gets visit from South Carolina coach

Before the Las Vegas Aces played at the New York Liberty on Sunday, former South Carolina star A'ja Wilson wore a T-shirt with her former coach, Dawn Staley , plastered on it.

Staley was seen sitting courtside at the game, hugging Wilson, and gave a shout out to the WNBA star on X, writing, "I couldn't even pull this off like the @_ajawilson22! Love you A! Heal up soon!!"

Wilson didn't play in the 75-71 loss against the Liberty because she tweaked her ankle late against the Connecticut Sun on Friday. She walked into the arena on Sunday with a boot on her right foot.

It was the first game Wilson had missed since 2019, and she's only missed three regular-season games since being drafted by the Aces in 2018.

"She is super competitive. She loves competing, and she super takes care of her body," Aces coach Becky Hammon said . "She makes all the decisions off the court that you guys never see or hear about to put her in the best position to be her best every night. And that's truly a professional ... and she's tough. I mean, she plays through fatigue. She'll play through some aches and pains, and not everybody has the ability to do that."

Wilson leads the WNBA in points per game this season with 27.3 and is averaging 11.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

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The Aces play the Indiana Fever, featuring Caitlin Clark and former Gamecocks start Aliyah Boston, on Wednesday. The Aces have five regular-season games remaining before the postseason begins. With a record of 22-13, the Aces have clinched a playoff berth and currently hold the fourth seed.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Injured A'ja Wilson, wearing Dawn Staley T-shirt, gets visit from South Carolina coach