A Gamecock Champion Is Guaranteed: Four Staley Alumnae Head Into the WNBA Finals
A former South Carolina women’s basketball player is guaranteed to win the 2026 WNBA title. The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries open a best-of-seven series on Oct. 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET, and four former Dawn Staley players are in the matchup.
The Gamecocks in the Finals
Atlanta Dream:
- Allisha Gray
- Te-Hina Paopao
- Madina Okot
Golden State Valkyries:
- Laeticia Amihere
Staley’s Odds of Reaching the Finals
Before the semifinals, the source says Staley had a 75% chance of getting at least one alumna into the Finals, since the four remaining teams were the Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty, Dream and Valkyries. She had two players on the Aces, A’ja Wilson and Ta’Niya Latson, and New York was the only semifinalist without a player tied to her program.
A Program Deep in the Pros
This season, Staley had as many as 13 former players on WNBA rosters across six teams. In program history, 23 South Carolina players have played in the league, including 19 during Staley’s tenure. The nine Gamecocks drafted in the last five years are the most of any college program.
Until this year, the only former Gamecocks with a WNBA title were A’ja Wilson and Alaina Coates, who won together with the Aces in 2023. They also won a national championship together in 2017, the first of Staley’s three college titles. Wilson has since added two more with Las Vegas, in 2024 and 2025.
The Four Players in Detail
Madina Okot (Dream): Selected No. 13 overall in this year’s draft after one season with Staley. The rookie center averaged 5.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 9.1 minutes and started twice.
Te-Hina Paopao (Dream): In her second year with Atlanta after being drafted No. 18 overall in 2025. She started at Oregon, then played for South Carolina from 2023-2025, winning a title in 2024. This season she averaged 11.6 minutes, 3.7 points and 1.4 assists.
Allisha Gray (Dream): The longest-tenured Gamecock in the WNBA, in her 10th season. She came to South Carolina after three years at North Carolina and won a title with Staley in 2017. Drafted No. 4 overall by Dallas, she has been with the Dream since 2023. She’s one of the league’s best guards and averaged a career-high 19 points with 2.6 assists this season. Gray missed all three semifinal games with a finger injury and is day-to-day for Game 1.
Laeticia Amihere (Valkyries): Played four years under Staley and won a title in 2022. She was drafted No. 8 overall by the Dream in 2023 and has been with Golden State for the last two seasons, averaging 11.7 minutes, 3.9 points and three rebounds this season.
Finals Schedule (All Times ET)
- Game 1: Atlanta at Golden State, Oct. 17, 3:30 p.m.
- Game 2: Atlanta at Golden State, Oct. 19, 8 p.m.
- Game 3: Golden State at Atlanta, Oct. 21, 8 p.m.
- Game 4: Golden State at Atlanta, Oct. 24, 1 p.m.
- Game 5 (if necessary): Atlanta at Golden State, Oct. 26, 8 p.m.
- Game 6 (if necessary): Golden State at Atlanta, Oct. 29, 8 p.m.
- Game 7 (if necessary): Atlanta at Golden State, Oct. 31, 8 p.m.
Why It Matters
The guarantee is a strong measure of Staley’s pipeline. Players from her program have now reached the sport’s biggest stage in multiple roles, from a 10-year veteran in Gray to a rookie in Okot. And because Amihere faces three former Gamecocks on the other side, the series is a showdown between old college teammates and rivals.
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