"Heck yes": South Carolina fans hyped for A'ja Wilson's biggest Gamecocks honor after her statue

After unveiling a statue in 2021, South Carolina has another big honor for A'ja Wilson. The Las Vegas Aces center's No. 22 jersey from her time as a Gamecocks player will be retired on Sunday at Colonial Life Arena.

South Carolina's Instagram account shared a countdown for the event on Thursday with a photo of Wilson from her time with the program.

"Counting down to 2'2 to celebrate the 🐐. See you Sunday @aja22wilson," @gamecockwbb captioned.

South Carolina fans took to the comment section to share their excitement.

"Heck yes!" a fan said.

"So deserving! I'm so excited! My cousins and and I are flying in for this!" another fan commented.

"(A'ja Wilson) put the gamecocks on the cap in 2017," a fan wrote.

Fan reactions (Credits: Instagram/@gamecockwbb)

In October, South Carolina announced that it would retire Wilson's jersey in a pregame ceremony on Feb.2 before the Gamecocks face Auburn. The center was the program's first No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft after an illustrious college career.

Wilson led the Gamecocks to their first national championship in 2017 and won the National Player of the Year award in 2018. She led her team to three SEC regular-season and four SEC tournament championships. She is also their all-time leading scorer with 2,389 points.

When A'ja Wilson became the first woman with a statue at USC

During A'ja Wilson's graduation ceremony in 2018, University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides announced that a statue would be made in her honor. In January 2021, the bronze model of Wilson was unveiled in front of Colonial Life Arena.

Wilson became the first woman and one of three individuals to receive this honor. The others on the list include Richard T. Greener, the first African-American faculty at USC and George Rogers, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1980.

During her statue unveiling, Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley spoke about Wilson's impact on the program.

"A'ja was a powerful force in our program, our campus and our community through everything that she accomplished on the court and the person she was off it," Staley said.

"This statue in front of this arena is an equally powerful force. Every young person, and especially young black girls, can see what is possible through hard work, passion and dedication."

The No. 2-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks are 20-1 overall this season and are aiming to defend their 2024 national championship win.