With most of the WNBA pausing for the Commissioner’s Cup Final — Las Vegas and New York squaring off with $500,000 on the line — it was a shorter week around the league. But the former South Carolina Gamecocks made the most of the games they played, with the program’s celebrated tradition of developing elite post players on full display.
A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces (14-5): MVP Form on Full Display
If anyone needed a reminder of why A’ja Wilson is the frontrunner for another MVP award, last week provided it in emphatic fashion.
Wilson’s week followed a pattern that has become almost predictable for the Aces — a puzzling loss, followed by a dominant response. After a quiet 16-point, 9-rebound outing in a surprising 87-76 loss to New York, Wilson flipped the switch in a way only she can. She followed that up with 32 points and 9 rebounds against Dallas before capping the week with her most complete performance yet — 30 points, 15 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks, and an assist in a 107-99 victory over Chicago.
That final line against the Sky was not just impressive — it was a statement. Wilson now averages 25.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game across 19 starts, while shooting an impressive 40.9% from three. Every few games, Las Vegas seems to lose interest and suffer a bad loss — and then Wilson refocuses the entire team and makes them look like the title contender everyone knows they are.
The Commissioner’s Cup Final against New York on Tuesday night (Amazon Prime, 7:00 ET) is the next stop, followed by a rematch with Chicago on Friday and a marquee matchup with Indiana on Sunday.
Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago Sky (6-13): History Made, Momentum Building
The week that Kamilla Cardoso just had deserves its own headline — and it got one across the basketball world.
The former Gamecock center is operating at a different level right now. After a difficult outing against Connecticut — where the officials even assessed her a foul while she was not on the court — Cardoso and the Sky came home and got to work. She put up 13 points and 8 rebounds in a win over Portland, then made WNBA history the very next game with a perfect 13-for-13 shooting performance on her way to a career-high 30 points and 8 rebounds in a 124-94 demolition of the Fire. She then followed that historic night with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and a 10-of-15 shooting performance against the Aces — taking Wilson to the wire before ultimately falling 107-99.
On the season, Cardoso is averaging 14.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game — numbers that reflect a player who has genuinely found her stride. Chicago still sits at 6-13, but with Cardoso playing at this level, the Sky are no longer a pushover for anyone. She heads back to Las Vegas on Friday for a rematch that the basketball world will be watching.
Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever (11-8): Quietly Building an Elite Case
While Wilson’s numbers dominate the headlines, Aliyah Boston continues to make a quiet but increasingly loud case as the second-best center in the WNBA. Through 18 starts, she is averaging 17.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game — while shooting a remarkable 42.6% from three, adding yet another dimension to her already versatile game.
Last week was a microcosm of her season. She went 8 points and 9 rebounds in a win over Phoenix, then elevated to 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in a heartbreaking 111-109 overtime loss to the Mercury. She closed the week with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks against Los Angeles as the Fever rolled to a 111-87 victory.
Boston did not set any WNBA or personal records last week, but she does not need to. The consistency of her production is becoming the most compelling argument in itself. Indiana faces Las Vegas on Sunday at 7:00 ET on ESPN — a matchup that will once again pit Boston against Wilson in what is becoming one of the best individual rivalries in the league.
Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream (12-7): Carrying a Struggling Team
Allisha Gray has been Atlanta’s anchor through good times and bad, and last week was more bad than good. The Dream went 1-3 on a brutal road trip, and Gray was one of the few consistent bright spots throughout.
She started all four games, playing between 25 and 36 minutes per outing, and finished the week with lines of 18 points and 5 steals, 8 points, 14 points and 2 steals, and 15 points across the four contests. On the season, she is averaging 18.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game across 19 starts — numbers that place her firmly among the elite wings in the league.
Atlanta gets a pair of winnable games this week with Washington on Thursday and Golden State at home on the Fourth of July.
Madina Okot, Atlanta Dream: Career Week Off the Bench
If there was a breakout performer among the Gamecocks last week, it was Madina Okot. Atlanta made a deliberate effort to get her more involved, and she delivered in a big way.
Okot posted a career-high 18 points and 7 rebounds against Toronto and followed that up with 16 points, 5 rebounds, a steal, and a block against Golden State — two of the most impressive back-to-back performances of her young career. She did earn her first career start against Seattle but struggled in the different role, finishing with 6 points and 5 rebounds in a 105-90 loss.
She is averaging 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game on the season in just 9.6 minutes of action — numbers that suggest she is getting far too few minutes for the production she brings. She is about the only highlight Atlanta had in what was otherwise a dismal road trip.
Tyasha Harris and Raven Johnson, Indiana Fever: Rising to the Moment
In a week where Caitlin Clark was unavailable, two former Gamecocks stepped into larger roles and delivered.
Tyasha Harris was inserted into the starting lineup against Los Angeles and responded with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in 30 minutes — her highest scoring output since September 2024 when she was a starter at Connecticut. For a player averaging just 2.9 points per game on the season across 12 minutes a night, it was a reminder of what Harris is capable of when given the opportunity.
Raven Johnson has been quietly building one of the more consistent books of work among Gamecock reserves. She played all three games last week, and in the loss to Phoenix she dished out a career-high 7 assists to go alongside 5 rebounds and 2 points. She followed that with 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 points against the Sparks. On the season she is averaging 4.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists across all 19 games — and her floor presence and zero-turnover reliability continue to make her a trusted piece of the Fever rotation.
Bree Hall, Indiana Fever: First Real Moment of the Season
It was brief. It was impactful. And for Bree Hall, it was a long time coming.
The developmental player made her first appearance of the season against Los Angeles, stepping onto the court for 10 minutes and making the most of every second. She finished with 5 points and 1 rebound, and notably attempted three shots in her first two minutes — not the hesitant debut of someone unsure of herself, but the confident arrival of a player ready to compete. Those 5 points represented a career high, surpassing the three total points she had accumulated across her entire professional career to that point.
For a player who embodies everything Dawn Staley’s program stands for — defense, toughness, and competitiveness — Hall’s moment against the Sparks felt like a door opening rather than a one-time opportunity.
Te-Hina Paopao, Atlanta Dream: Steady Presence
Te-Hina Paopao continued to provide steady guard minutes off the bench for Atlanta, playing in all four games and averaging around 12-18 minutes per outing. Her most impactful game came against Seattle, where she contributed 3 points, 4 assists, and a steal in 18 minutes.
On the season she is shooting 40.4% from three across 14.2 minutes per game — a legitimate weapon when her number is called and a sign that her efficiency from deep remains one of her most reliable tools.
Laeticia Amihere, Golden State Valkyries (13-7): Making the Most of Her Minutes
Laeticia Amihere has quietly been a key contributor to the Valkyries’ third-best record in the WNBA, and her week made a convincing case for more playing time.
Against Atlanta in the first game, she posted 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, an assist, and a steal in just 13 minutes. She crashed the glass, defended the rim, and brought exactly the energy Golden State needed off the bench. The question worth asking — and it is a fair one — is why a player who brings all of that was benched for an entire week earlier in the season. She heads back to Atlanta on the Fourth of July.
Zia Cooke, Seattle Storm (5-15): Signs of Life
The Storm have not had much to celebrate this season, but Zia Cooke is giving their fans something to watch. She exploded for 18 points in 30 minutes against Dallas — the second-best scoring game of her career — before settling into a quieter role during two Seattle wins against New York and Atlanta.
The Storm at 5-15 are still very much a work in progress, but Cooke’s ability to create offense off the bench has been one of the few consistent bright spots in a difficult year.
Ta’Niya Latson and Sania Feagin: Limited Opportunities
Ta’Niya Latson of the Los Angeles Sparks saw garbage-time minutes in a pair of blowout losses — 7 minutes and 2 points against Indiana being her most substantial outing. The banged-up Sparks had a difficult week and have no games scheduled in the coming days.
Sania Feagin, who joined the Portland Fire on Wednesday, has been inactive for all three games since making the move. Portland notably played a four-overtime thriller against Washington on Sunday — one of the more extraordinary games of the WNBA season — but Feagin was not part of it. Her opportunity in Portland is still waiting.
Looking Ahead
The Commissioner’s Cup Final takes center stage Tuesday night as Wilson and the Aces face New York on Amazon Prime. When the full schedule resumes, the most anticipated matchup of the week may well be Sunday’s Fever-Aces clash on ESPN — Boston versus Wilson, two former Gamecocks, two elite post players, and one of the best individual storylines the WNBA has to offer this season.
Post Player U is very much open for business.
