“First she talked about her college boyfriend now this”: Fans in splits after Dawn Staley’s comment on Bam Adebayo amid A'ja Wilson’s dating rumors

The South Carolina Gamecocks retired Las Vegas Aces stalwart, A'ja Wilson's No. 22 jersey on Sunday. Wilson led the Gamecocks to the 2017 national championship win, and the program immortalized her jersey before an SEC matchup against the Auburn Tigers.

The former Gamecock star is considered by many to be one of the greatest players the program ever saw. She is also the most successful player Dawn Staley has coached through her 16-year tenure at South Carolina.

While A'ja Wilson's parents joined her for the ceremony, One of the more prominent names was Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo. The two have been rumored to be dating for a while now, and his appearance is deemed as a hard launch for the alleged couple.

During the post-game press conference, Staley briefly commented on the Wilson-Adebayo pairing.

"It's super cool, I think Bam Adebayo was here. I don't know why...But, it was great to have him in the building after he hit the game winner last night," she said.

Fans have since flooded the comment section on @espnw's Instagram post with their reactions to Staley's comments.

"First she talked about her college boyfriend, now this," one user said with laughing emojis.

(image credit: @espnw on Instagram)

"She sound like somebody auntie," a user shared.

(image credits: @espnw on Instagram)

"Bruh! Dawn is an effortless sit down comedian," another commented.

(image credits: @espnw on Instagram)

"Dawn being messy," another user wrote with laughing emojis.

(image credits: @espnw on Instagram)

"This is the best answer. Even if she knows about their implied relationship, it's not hers to comment on. Go Dawn!," another user posted.

(image credits: @espnw on Instagram)

While there has been no confirmation yet on the true status of the relationship, all signs have been pointed toward A'ja Wilson and Bam Adebayo dating. This is not the first time that the two are in public together. The Aces center was present when Adebayo was honored with the Key to Miami-Dade County and at Dwayne Wade's statue reveal.

A'ja Wilson shouts out her "favorite Olympian" in her jersey retirement speech

Many fans and spectators have since used A'ja Wilson's jersey retirement speech as a basis to confirm the speculations of her and Bam Adebayo dating. When thanking the people who have helped her through her basketball journey, Wilson said:

"I wouldn't be where I am today without the love, support and sacrifices of so many people. And, what a blessing to have those most special to me courtside today, especially my favorite Olympian from out of town."

For the current crop of Gamecocks and Dawn Staley, they now set their focus on maintaining a top conference standing when they take on the Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday, Feb. 6, on the road.