​Ta’Niya Latson, the WNBA rookie from South Carolina, has the opportunity to learn from one of the sport’s all-time greats who wore the Gamecocks uniform. After being waived by the Los Angeles Sparks on July 6, Latson signed a developmental contract with the Las Vegas Aces on July 8, setting up a chance to practice and play alongside A’ja Wilson, the league’s only four-time MVP. Latson, who was selected 20th overall in the second round of the 2026 WNBA Draft, struggled to secure consistent minutes, averaging just 1.8 points in 5.0 minutes across 10 games before the Sparks cut her.
Dawn Staley, the Carolina coach, now has a program-record 13 former Gamecocks in the WNBA this season, a mark that underscores the pipeline she has built. Wilson, who played for Staley from 2014 to 2018 and reached the program’s first national championship in 2017, left South Carolina as the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft. Latson’s move to Las Vegas comes as Wilson, who averages a league-leading 25.7 points per game, has not played since June 28 due to a leg injury. The timing of Latson’s move is notable, coming just a day after the Aces released Chennedy Carter, a 5-foot-9 guard who had been putting up 14.3 points per game. The Aces also signed former Vanderbilt forward Justine Pissott to a rest-of-season contract.
Latson shined at Florida State, leading the nation with 25.2 points per game during her junior season. She transferred to Staley’s South Carolina program for her final year to play with other top players, and she contributed 14.1 points per game for the Gamecocks, also posting a personal-best 48.6% shooting from the floor. The Sparks, meanwhile, sit at 8-11 and had their own losing streak extended to three games on the same night Latson was waived. In a separate development, the Sparks also released another former Gamecock, Sania Feagin, who had been selected by Los Angeles in the 2025 draft’s second round and was subsequently picked up by the Portland Fire five days after her waiver.
Staley’s presence in the league has grown further as the 2026 All-Star roster includes three former Gamecocks, led by Wilson and Aliyah Boston as starters and Allisha Gray as a reserve guard. This dynamic makes Latson’s transition into Las Vegas especially compelling, as she will now have the chance to learn from Wilson while continuing to develop her game under a coach who has proven to cultivate elite talent.
Lulu Kesin, who covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network, notes the broader significance of Latson’s move for the program’s alumni in the league. For readers seeking more information, Kesin can be reached at LKesin@usatodayco.com, and she can be followed on X at @Lulukesin and on Bluesky at @bylulukesin.bsky.social. This update originally appeared in Greenville News as part of ongoing coverage of Ta’Niya Latson’s transition to the Aces and Dawn Staley’s continuing impact on women’s basketball.