INDIANAPOLIS — Aliyah Boston wrote down her goal for her first WNBA season before she even entered training camp with the Indiana Fever: Win Rookie of the Year.
Not only did Boston follow through on her intention, she made history in the process. By winning the award unanimously, she joined an exclusive list limited to past and present legends of the league: A’ja Wilson, Elena Delle Donne, Tina Charles and Candace Parker. She even led the league in field goal percentage at 57.8%, the first time a rookie has ever done that in WNBA history.
Don’t take that to mean adjusting to the professional level was all a breeze, though. Boston recalls going up against Dallas Wings center Teaira McCowan – who, at 6-7, is one of the few players the 6-5 Boston has to look up at – as her “Welcome to the WNBA” moment.
“I just like, ‘Whoa, this is an adjustment right here, I have to figure out how to guard her,” Boston said. “I mean, she’s just such a big body, but she’s also very talented with her size. And so it was really just trying to play and figure out how to guard her the best way.”
Boston became plenty familiar with calibrating to new challenges throughout her rookie year. The two biggest adjustments she had to make were to her conditioning and physicality. Despite playing in a rough-and-tumble college conference in the SEC, she came to understand that professional ball was going to be different; she wasn’t always going to be the bigger player.
After her South Carolina teams went 129-9 during her time at school, handling a heavy dose of losing was a big adjustment for Boston, too. After all, the Fever had the rights to that No. 1 overall pick for a reason, and Indiana’s 13-27 record this season was a big enough change for Boston that she came to amend her mindset.
“It’s not an adjustment that people really talk about, but it definitely was [an adjustment]. I remember some games I’d be coming back and I’d be on the bus, and I’d just be trying to figure out what else I can do,” Boston said. “But it’s just an adjustment that, as the games go on, you understand that ‘Okay, we had some really close games that we could have when we lost by one, two points, less than five.’
“But honestly, I’ve been able to see our growth throughout the season. I think that’s just something that allowed me not to get down because of the losses, because I see where we’re going to continue to grow.”
Photo by: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
This isn’t the first time Boston had to make a big jump. Boston entered college as a 17-year-old, still needing to find her voice and figure out who she was on and off the court. Of course, playing for a legendary coach like Dawn Staley helps, and Boston is still drawing on that experience and relationship as she continues to acclimate to the WNBA.
“I said all the time, if I could go back and pick another school, I wouldn’t,” Boston said. “I would go right back to South Carolina and coach Staley, because of how she’s able to help you grow as a woman.
“She instills confidence in you each and every time. And she still does now. She’ll be watching my games, and she’ll text me ‘Make sure you do this, make sure you do that.’ And so I appreciate everything that she’s continued to do for me.”
Now, Boston is getting ready for her next new challenge: adding on-air talent to her repertoire as part of Peacock’s Big Ten women’s basketball coverage.
“I’m really excited to be able to add that to my resume,” Boston said. “I think being a top athlete allows for me to be comfortable with this in the sense of seeing the game and different way versus just being on the outside looking in.
“I’ve been able to play against some of these girls, I’ve been playing basketball since I was nine years old. So just to be able to see what’s happening and be able to understand it like this, I think it’s really going to help me.”
If the rest of her career is any indication, Boston will figure out how to excel in front of the camera like she has on the hardwood. That list of names Boston joined as a unanimous rookie of the year doesn’t just reflect her ability; it also shows that she is one of the faces of women’s basketball as it looks to maintain its forward momentum in attention and exposure.
The conclusion of the 2022-23 season saw the most viewed NCAA women’s championship and non-championship games ever. Boston sees a chance for women’s college basketball players to capitalize on the sport’s increased popularity as realignment affects conferences across the country. More players will be able to pick out the situation that is best for them and prioritize making the most of it using the transfer portal, NIL opportunities and more.
Exposure continues to be the key for the WNBA, too. Boston wants to see enough games on TV that viewers can simply flip through channels to find them.
“I think as you continue to show more games, the revenue will come. Because as you can tell, there’s people interested,” Boston said. “There are so many people who are interested in watching the W. And I think a big part of that is fanbases from college falling their players into the league, which is amazing.”
Coming off a record-breaking season for viewership, attendance and digital engagement, as well as the recent announcement that the league is expanding to the Bay Area, the WNBA is only going up. Boston is excited about the possibilities that expansion opens up for female players.
“There’s so much talent in the league and there’s so much talent that’s not in the league,” Boston said. “And so to be able to see that there’s two more teams coming in, there’s going to be opportunity for 24 more ladies to play and show off their talent each and every night in the W, it’s amazing. Because it keeps the hopes and dreams of people who aspire to be in the league, to be where we are, alive.”
By AIDAN BERG/NBC Sports