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The WNBA Finals are here and a former South Carolina women's basketball player is winning the 2026 title no matter what.
The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries start a best-of-seven series on Oct. 17 at 3:30 p.m. They feature a combined four former players for coach Dawn Staley.
On the Dream, Allisha Gray, Te-Hina Paopao and Madina Okot will be playing against Laeticia Amihere, who is on the Valkyries.
Staley had a 75% chance of getting at least one player into the finals from the semifinals, as the four final teams were the Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty, Dream and Valkyries.
She has two players on the Aces in five-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson and Ta'Niya Latson as New York was the only semifinalist without a player tied to Staley's program.
This season, Staley had as many as 13 former players on a WNBA roster across six teams. In program history, 23 South Carolina players have played in the league, including 19 in Staley’s tenure. The nine Gamecocks drafted in the last five years are the most of any college program.
Wilson and Alaina Coates won a WNBA championship together on the Aces in 2023, the only former Gamecocks with an WNBA title until this year. The duo won a national championship together in 2017 with Staley, the first of her three college titles.
Wilson has since won two more with Las Vegas, in 2024 and 2025.
Okot was selected No. 13 overall in this year's draft after one season with Staley. The rookie center averaged 5.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 9.1 minutes and started twice.
Paopao is in her second year with the Dream after getting drafted No. 18 overall in 2025. The guard started her career at Oregon then transferred to play for the Gamecocks from 2023-2025, winning a title in 2024. She averaged 11.6 minutes, 3.7 points and 1.4 assists this season.
Gray is the longest-tenured Gamecock in the WNBA this year at 10 seasons. She came to South Carolina after three seasons at North Carolina, winning a title with Staley in 2017. She was drafted No. 4 overall by Dallas but has been on the Dream since 2023.
She's one of the league's best guards and averaged a career-high 19 points this season with 2.6 assists.
Gray missed the all three semifinal games with a finger injury and is day-to-day for Game 1.
Amihere played four years with Staley, winning a title in 2022 before getting drafted No. 8 overall by the Dream in 2023. She has been with Golden State the last two seasons and averaged 11.7 minutes, 3.9 points and three rebounds this season.
Game 1: Atlanta at Golden State on Oct. 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Game 2: Atlanta at Golden State on Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. ET
Game 3: Golden State at Atlanta on Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. ET
Game 4: Golden State at Atlanta on Oct. 24 at 1 p.m. ET
Game 5 (if necessary): Atlanta at Golden State on Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. ET
Game 6 (if necessary): Golden State at Atlanta on Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. ET
Game 7 (if necessary): Atlanta at Golden State on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. ET
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