INDIANAPOLIS —The first thing Indiana Fever rookie Aliyah Boston did after finding out she was a WNBA All-Star starter is text her family group chat — even though WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told her to keep the news confidential.
“Miss Cathy said not to tell anyone, but I texted my whole family group chat — don’t tell her,” Boston said from Las Vegas on Monday night. “I told them they have to keep it a secret, it’s just my mom, my dad, and my aunt. I’m like, ‘Guys, shhh, but listen, come to Vegas.’”
Then, she texted Fever coach Christie Sides, who had to mask her excitement on the team bus while they were traveling.
“We were all separated, so Aliyah got the call, and then she told me,” Sides said. “We didn’t’ know if we could tell anybody, so we were all just sitting on the bus and she and I were texting. All she wants to talk about is her team, you know, and that’s the difference in her. That’s what makes her so special.
Boston, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 WNBA draft, was officially named an All-Star starter Sunday afternoon. She is the eighth rookie overall to grab a starting spot, and the first since 2014. For the Fever, Boston is the first rookie all-star since Tamika Catchings in 2002.
The last rookie to start a WNBA All-Star game was Shoni Schimmel, who played for the Atlanta Dream and was the 2014 All-Star game MVP. Maya Moore, Sue Bird, Chamique Holdsclaw, Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner, and Catchings were also all starters in their respective rookie seasons.
“It’s really special,” Boston said of joining that list of players. “Sometimes, there’s not enough words, or words you can even say because the feeling is just unmatched. I never thought in my rookie season that I would be an All-Star, let alone an All-Star starter, just because of the amount of talented women I’m surrounded by, but it’s a great feeling.”
Voting for the WNBA All-Star starters was 50% fan vote, 25% media vote, and 25% player panel. With all of the votes combined, Boston finished fifth in frontcourt voting. The top six are starters.
The rookie will join Griner, Breanna Stewart, Satou Sabally, Nneka Ogwumike and A’ja Wilson in the frontcourt. Four players — Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Arike Ogunbowale and 2016 IndyStar Miss Basketball Jackie Young — will make up the backcourt starters.
Voting for the WNBA All-Star starters was 50% fan vote, 25% media vote, and 25% player panel. With all of the votes combined, Boston finished fifth in frontcourt voting. The top six are starters.
The rookie will join Griner, Breanna Stewart, Satou Sabally, Nneka Ogwumike and A’ja Wilson in the frontcourt. Four players — Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Arike Ogunbowale and 2016 IndyStar Miss Basketball Jackie Young — will make up the backcourt starters.
Boston leads all rookies in scoring and rebounding with 15.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, respectively. She also leads the WNBA with a .651 field goal percentage.
After the All-star starters were announced, some WNBA fans took to social media to debate whether Boston was a deserving starter. Although she sees those debates, Boston doesn’t pay attention to them.
“It was a shocking moment,” Boston said. “You can see bits here and there on social media of what people are thinking, but then you get a call that’s like, ‘Hey, you’re an All-Star starter.’ And I’m like ‘What?’ This is so cool.”
Boston will take the court with the other starters in Las Vegas on July 15. All-Star reserves are voted on by the league’s coaches, so Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell and forward NaLyssa Smith both have a chance to still make the All-Star game. Stewart and Wilson, as the top two fan vote-getters, will be the captains of the two teams. They will draft their teams, regardless of conference, on July 8.
So, Boston has seven more regular season games before her first All-Star game. In the meantime, she’s thinking of what she’s going to do for the game’s promotional video.
“I’ve seen the All-Star things on TV, and they come out of the little thing and they dance,” Boston said. “You guys know I’m not a dancer. So, I’m like, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t have a lot of time, but I’m sweating thinking about it.”