NEW YORK _ Sin City, here she comes.
Former South Carolina women's basketball star A'ja Wilson was selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft by the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday, officially joining the pro ranks after four record-breaking years at the collegiate level.
Wilson entered Thursday's draft as the consensus No. 1 pick, and the Aces, led by head coach and president of basketball operations Bill Laimbeer, made the expected reality shortly after 7 p.m. at Nike New York Headquarters in Manhattan.
"What happens in Sin City stays in Sin City," Wilson said with a grin after being drafted by Las Vegas.
Members of South Carolina's coaching staff were also present as Wilson became the Gamecocks' first No. 1 overall pick in program history. She will join former teammates Tiffany Mitchell, Alaina Coates, Allisha Gray and Kaela Davis in the WNBA.
Wilson will return to Columbia, S.C., on Saturday for a farewell tour, signing autographs and greeting fans at ColaKicks, Wild Wing Cafe and other locations. After that, her first preseason game with the Aces will come on May 6 against the Chinese national team. Her first regular-season contest is on May 20, at the Connecticut Sun.
She is the program's first No. 1 draft pick and third overall for the school. The other two were in football: George Rogers was selected No. 1 in 1981 by the New Orleans Saints, and Jadeveon Clowney was drafted first in 2015 by the Houston Texans.
