“Bam Adebayo Was Here; Don’t Know Why”: Dawn Staley Takes Hilarious ‘Jab’ at Heat Star Attending A’ja Wilson’s Jersey Retirement

Prateek Singh | 03/02/2025
A'ja Wilson (L) and Bam Adebayo (R)

The South Carolina Gamecocks honored A’ja Wilson on Sunday by retiring her #22 jersey. The event was attended by thousands of fans and the friends and family of the WNBA superstar. A very special guest was also seated courtside for the ceremony, dressed in a suit with matching patterns with the honoree. Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo.

During a press conference, the Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley was asked about the celebrity row for Wilson’s big night. The head coach quipped about Adebayo’s presence courtside and said she didn’t know why he was there.

She said, “I think Bam Adebayo was here…I don’t know why. It was great to have him in the building after he hit the game-winner last night.”

On a more serious note, Staley said that the state of women’s basketball is great right now and only sky is the limit from here. So she embraced all the celebrity attention women’s basketball is getting.

Her jab at the Heat star was prompted by the rumors that he has been dating Wilson for a while now.

Well, the stories about their dating life are no longer just rumors. The two-time WNBA Champion gave her relationship with Adebayo a hard launch during her speech at the jersey retirement ceremony. Wilson thanked the people who have supported her from the beginning and made sacrifices for her before addressing Adebayo.

She said, “What a blessing to have those most special to me courtside today, especially my favorite Olympian from out of town.”

The 28-year-old couldn’t control her excitement and was seen blushing while talking about Adebayo. The rumors about their dating life started when they were seen together a few times during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Although both of them were there to represent Team USA, the frequent sightings of the two stars were enough to get the internet buzzing. Until now, neither of them had said a word about their dating life. Now they are officially one of most popular power couples in the sporting world.

Post Edited By: Satagni Sikder
A'ja WIlson bam adebayo

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Prateek Singh

Prateek is a Senior NBA Writer for The SportsRush. He has over 900 published articles under his name. Prateek merged his passion for writing and his love for the sport of basketball to make a career out of it. Other than basketball, he is also an ardent follower of the UFC and soccer. Apart from the world of sports, he has followed hip-hop religiously and often writes about the origins, evolution, and the biggest stars of the music genre.

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