South Carolina HC Dawn Staley reveals one 2x Olympian that gave her a bizarre nickname

In a birthday wish turned to social media banter, South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley revealed her bizarre nickname. She said it was given to her by two-time Olympian Laeticia Amihere. Amihere played under Staley as a Gamecock before turning pro and going to the WNBA.

It all started when the South Carolina coach took to X to wish the Canadian power forward on her birthday. She asked the Atlanta Dream star to enjoy her birthday to the fullest.

“Happy happy happy birthday @_Theblackqueen_! May God continue yo bless your life and keep you strong thru life challenges! Enjoy your born day to the fullest!” Staley wrote on X.

Amihere thanked her former head coach for the wish and asked if she was now old enough to be on a first-name basis with her. Staley then revealed the bizarre nickname that the forward had given her already.

“You’re a two time Olympian called me Dawn Dawnnie Dawnnay….come on in this upper room with me!” Staley said.

Amihere played for the Gamecocks from 2019 to 2023 and was one of the most reliable players. She won the NCAA championship in 2022. The forward was picked eighth overall in the 2023 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream.

She represented Canada at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and has been selected for the team going to Paris later this month.

Dawn Staley hyped up A'ja Wilson for being the cover athlete for the 2K25 WNBA edition

Dawn Staley doesn't hold back in publicly hyping up women's basketball players. She did it with Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson after she became the first women's athlete to get on the 2K basketball video game cover. The Gamecocks head coach took to X to congratulate her former player.

"Do it do it do it @_ajawilson22! Super proud of you for raising the bar on and off the court! A true blessing to see your uncommon favor displayed," Staley wrote.

Wilson will be sharing the cover of the 2K25 All-Stars edition with Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum. She will also be the sole cover athlete on the game’s WNBA edition, coming out on GameStop in North America.

Wilson played college basketball for Dawn Staley in South Carolina before turning pro in 2018. She was the MVP of the WNBA finals last year and lifted the title with Aces.