Aliyah Boston

Aliyah Boston (born December 11, 2001) is an American professional basketball power forward and center for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for the Phantom of Unrivaled. She was named 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year in a unanimous vote and the AP Rookie of the Year. She played college basketball at the University of South Carolina.

Born in Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, Boston attended Worcester Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she was a McDonald's All-American and a three-time Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year. Boston has won several gold medals representing the United States.

Boston led South Carolina to their second national championship in school history in 2022 and was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (MOP). That year, she also won Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. Boston won the Lisa Leslie Award as the best center in NCAA women's basketball in four consecutive years.

On April 1, 2023, Boston declared for the 2023 WNBA draft. Boston chose to forgo her extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She ended her four-year collegiate career with a record of 129 wins and 9 losses. Boston was the first overall pick in the WNBA draft on April 10, 2023, selected by the Indiana Fever.

Early life and education Boston was born on December 11, 2001, to parents Cleone and Al in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Boston fell in love with basketball at age 9 while watching her older sister Alexis play. At age 12, Aliyah and Alexis moved from their home in the Virgin Islands to New England to live with their aunt, Jenaire Hodge, and her cousin, Kira Punter. Boston would only see her parents a few times over the following years, mostly to watch Aliyah's AAU basketball games.

"When I first started playing, it was kind of just for fun, but then I realized how much you could get out of playing. So we've all had faith in God that I could; my goal is to go to college with a scholarship. God has helped us with that".|author=Aliyah Boston Boston committed to Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks over UConn, Ohio State, and Notre Dame, giving the Gamecocks the consensus number one recruiting class for 2019.

College career 2019–20: Freshman season

In her first game at the University of South Carolina on November 5, 2019, Boston posted the first triple-double by a freshman in program history and the first by any NCAA Division I player in her career debut against Alabama State, including a school-record tying 10 blocks. Boston helped lead the Gamecocks to a big early season road win against No. 4 Maryland scoring eight of the team's first 10 points and blocking five shots in the opening quarter.

In the 2019 Paradise Jam, Boston won Reef Division MVP after she had 20 points and 13 rebounds in a win against No. 2 Baylor, clinching the tournament championship. On January 20, 2020, Boston notched her eighth double-double of the season, finishing with 12 rebounds and 21 points in a win over No. 9 Mississippi State. Boston played a huge role in the No. 1 Gamecocks' first-ever victory over the UConn Huskies on February 10, capturing her tenth double-double.

2020–21: Sophomore season

Boston started off the season hot against the 23rd-ranked Iowa State, recording five of the team's first 10 points, which included a 3-pointer. She then scored four of her season-high 13 points off offensive rebounds. Against Florida, Boston continued to show her all-around game when she hit three 3's and recorded 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Scoring 19 points and 11 rebounds in the first half, she became the 11th fastest Gamecock to score 500 points in her career. On January 10 in a win at 10th ranked Kentucky, Boston put up 20 points and 12 rebounds, scoring her fourth double double of the season and also included seven blocks, she would earn SEC co-player of the week honors. Boston helped secure a 104–82 win over 17th-ranked Arkansas; she finished with 26 points and 16 rebounds. She scored six points, six rebounds, and three blocks in the game's opening five minutes. On January 21, in a win over Georgia, Boston made history as the program's first triple-double in SEC play, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 blocks. Against LSU, Boston notched her third straight double-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds. Facing a tough double team against Alabama, Boston remained poised and handed out a career high 6 assists to go with 13 rebounds. In a road game against UConn, Boston completed her eighth double-double on the season, pulling down 15 rebounds, including eight in the final 15 minutes.

Boston was crucial in the Gamecocks' SEC Tournament Championship win, in the semifinals vs. Tennessee, Boston scored 15 points and 11 rebounds, and in the finals against Georgia, scored 27 points and 10 rebounds. Boston was named SEC Tournament MVP. She recorded double-doubles in all three of the Gamecocks games. In her NCAA Tournament debut against no. 16th-seeded Mercer, she would notch a 20-point and 18-rebound game. In the elite eight against Texas, Boston scored six of her ten points in the first quarter. Boston had 16 rebounds in the season-ending loss against Stanford and missed a potential game-winning lay-up at the buzzer as South Carolina lost 66–65. At the conclusion of the season, she was named Lisa Leslie award winner for the second straight year, was named consensus First Team All-American, and was named National Player of the year by The Athletic.

2021–22: Junior season

On February 24, she broke the SEC record with her 20th consecutive double-double in the win at Texas A&M.

In the Final Four, she had a win against #4 Louisville, 15 points and 10 rebounds. In South Carolina's 64–49 National Championship win over UConn, Boston had 11 points and 16 rebounds for her 30th double-double of the season. It was the program's second national championship. She was named the NCAA Tournament MOP.

2022–23: Senior season

Boston scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in South Carolina's 76–71 win at No. 2 Stanford. On November 27, 2022, Boston suffered a leg injury in a win against Hampton. In the 2023 NCAA tournament, South Carolina advanced to the Final Four but lost 73–77 to Iowa, which shattered their 42-game winning streak.

She finished her senior year as a unanimous first-team All-American for the third consecutive year, and also won Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, the Lisa Leslie Award, SEC Player of the Year, and SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

Professional career WNBA (2023–present) 2023: Rookie of the Year

On April 10, 2023, Boston became the first overall pick in the 2023 WNBA draft, selected by the Indiana Fever (first in franchise history). On June 20, she was awarded WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week. At the end of June, Boston was awarded WNBA Rookie of the Month again while also being named a starter for the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game – becoming just the eighth rookie in league history to start the game – finishing with six points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Before the playoffs started, Boston won the final WNBA Rookie of the Month award of the season averaging 14.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game in August.

At the end of the 2023 season, Boston was unanimously named WNBA Rookie of the Year. She was also named annual Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press as well as earning AP All-Rookie Team recognition.

2024: Sophomore season

On December 10, 2023, Boston represented the Fever at the 2024 WNBA draft lottery, helping Indiana secure the first overall pick for the second straight year, where they selected Caitlin Clark.

On June 18, 2024, Boston was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. On July 2, 2024, Boston was named to the Team WNBA All-Star team and received the second most fan votes of any player (618,680 votes).

2025: Third season

In April 2025, the Fever exercised their fourth-year option for Boston, extending her contract into the 2026 season.

On June 30, 2025, Boston was named as an All-Star starter for the third time in her career.

2026: Fourth season

On April 17, 2026, Boston agreed to a contract extension with the Indiana Fever that will keep her with the team through the 2029 season. The deal marks the first use of the Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract (EPIC) provision, which permits eligible players to sign maximum or supermax contracts before completing their rookie-scale agreements.

Boston became eligible for renegotiation after being named to the All-WNBA Second Team following the 2025 season, allowing her to modify the fourth and final year of her rookie contract under the EPIC framework. She played for the Vinyl in the 2025 season.

On November 5th, 2025, it was announced that Boston had been drafted by Phantom BC for the 2026 Unrivaled season.

Boston suffered a right lower extremity injury in her final regular-season game in Unrivaled and was unable to participate in Phantom's postseason games. Named the league's Defensive Player of the Year, she helped take Phantom to the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, averaging 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks across the season. The league's fourth-leading rebounder, Boston was named to the 2026 All-Unrivaled Second Team. The injury also prevented Boston from participating for Team USA in the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico.

National team career Boston with the United States at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics.

Boston has represented the United States at various international competitions, including the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Women's Americas Championship, 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, 2018 FIBA Under-17 Women's Basketball World Cup, and 2019 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup winning gold each time, she was named MVP of the FIBA Americas U16 Championship. Boston also won gold at the 2021 FIBA Women's AmeriCup.

Career statistics Denotes season(s) in which Boston won an NCAA Championship

WNBA Regular season Stats current through end of 2025 season

Playoffs

College

Awards and honors WNBA 3× WNBA All-Star: 2023–2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year: 3× WNBA Player of the Week WNBA All-Rookie Team: 3× WNBA Rookie of the Month: WNBA field goal percentage leader: WNBA All-Defensive Second Team

Indiana Fever Single-season leader in rebounds (2024)

NCAA NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player: 2022 Naismith College Player of the Year: 2022 USBWA Women's National Player of the Year: 2022 John R. Wooden Award: 2022 Wade Trophy: 2022 AP Women's College Basketball Player of the Year: 2022 4× Lisa Leslie Award: 2020–2023 2× Naismith Defensive Player of the Year: 2022, 2023 3× AP First-team All-American: 2021, 2022, 2023 3× USBWA First-team All-American: 2021, 2022, 2023 2x WBCA First-team All-American: 2021, 2022 AP Second-team All-American: 2020 USBWA Second-team All-American: 2020 USBWA National Freshman of the Year: 2020 WBCA Freshman of the Year: 2020 Honda-Broderick Cup: 2022 Honda Sports Award: 2022 Honda Cup Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year: 2022 2x SEC Player of the Year: 2022, 2023 2x SEC tournament MVP: 2021, 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year: 2020 4× First-team All-SEC: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 4× SEC All-Defensive Team: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 4× SEC Defensive Player of the Year: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 2× Academic All-American of the Year, D-I women's basketball: 2021, 2022

International FIBA Under-16 Women's Americas Championship MVP (2017) FIBA Under-17 Women's Basketball World Cup All-Tournament Team (2018)

High school 3x Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year (2017, 2018, 2019) USA Today Massachusetts Player of the Year (2019) Naismith All-America Second Team (2019) WBCA All-America Second Team (2019) McDonald's All-America (2019) SLAM All-America (2019)

Media AP WNBA Rookie of the Year: 2023 AP WNBA All-Rookie Team: 2023

Records NCAA Most career rebounds in the NCAA tournament: 199 Most career offensive rebounds in the NCAA tournament: 70 Highest career average rebounds per game in the NCAA tournament: 12.4

Southeastern Conference Most career triple-doubles: 2 Most consecutive double-doubles in a single season: 27 (2021–22)

South Carolina Gamecocks Career Most career games started: 138 Most consecutive games started: 138 Most career rebounds: 1,493 Most career offensive rebounds: 518 Most career defensive rebounds: 975 Most career triple-doubles: 2 Most career double-doubles: 82 Senior (2022–23) Most games played in a single season: 37 Most games started in a single season: 37 Junior (2021–22) Most games played in a single season: 37 Most games started in a single season: 37 Most rebounds in a single season: 462 Most offensive rebounds in a single season: 150 Most defensive rebounds in a single season: 312 Most shots blocked by a junior: 90 Most double-doubles posted in a single season: 30 Most consecutive double-doubles posted in a single season: 27 (2021–22) Most offensive rebounds in a single game: 12 (March 24, 2022) Highest field goal percentages in a single game: 100.0% (November 29, 2021) Fastest player to reach 1,000 points Sophomore (2020–21) Most shots blocked in a single game: 10 (January 21, 2021) First player to post a triple-double in an SEC game (January 21, 2021) Freshman (2019–20) Most games started by a freshman: 33 Most shots blocked by a freshman: 86 Most double-doubles posted by a freshman: 13 Most shots blocked in a single game: 10 (November 5, 2019) First freshman to post a triple-double (November 5, 2019)

Off the court Education and broadcasting Boston graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2023 with a degree in communications. As of 2023 she planned to work in broadcast sports journalism after her playing career.

She later joined NBC Sports as a studio analyst for their Big Ten and Notre Dame women's basketball coverage after her rookie WNBA season.

Philanthropy In February 2024, Boston joined the WNBA Changemakers Collective and their collaboration with VOICEINSPORT (VIS) as a mentor, "aimed at keeping girls in sport and developing diverse leaders on the court and beyond the game."

Business interests In October 2024, Boston appeared in a TikTok ad campaign for TOGETHXR and Aflac alongside Fever teammate, Lexie Hull. In July 2025, Boston joined the ownership group for the Boston Legacy FC.