Movers and Shakers of the 2026 WNBA Season: Aliyah Boston

The 2025 WNBA season was one of the most highly anticipated seasons in recent history. It came after a hugely successful 2024 season, where the WNBA’s popularity had seen a significant rise. The emergence of the 2024 rookie class, headlined by Iowa standout guard Caitlin Clark and LSU forward Angel Reese, had been just what the league needed. The two players had been locked in a heated race for rookie of the year during the 2024 season, with Clark emerging as the winner after she separated herself down the stretch of the season. The rivalry had peaked when the two players and their teams met on June 16, 2024, with the viewership for that game being the highest experienced by the WNBA in 23 years. Now, for the 2025 season, the league had done what any sensible organization would do: Pit these two money-makers against each other on opening weekend, during the 3.00pm ET window on a Sunday.

If the league’s hope was to break that previous viewership record, then this was a huge success. The game averaged 2.7 million viewers and peaked at 3.1 million on ABC, breaking a record that had stood since 2000. Unfortunately for the viewers, the game turned out to be a blow out; the Fever won by 35 points. While fans had tuned in to watch the two stars battle it out, it was another player that stole the spotlight. That player was Aliyah Boston.

Boston absolutely dominated, scoring 19 points while going 8-12 from the field. She also grabbed 13 boards and had 5 blocks to go with that. The Sky never really stood a chance, with Boston displaying elite rim protection to stuff attack after attack by the Sky players. Her offensive game had also become very polished, as she displayed an array of post moves and efficient low post scoring. To add to that, she even hit a three! This was truly a masterpiece by the 6’5” center, but to people who had been following her career before then, this came as no surprise. This is just what she does.

Aliyah’s Collegiate Career

Simply put, Aliyah Boston was one of the most dominant college basketball players ever. Her time at the University of South Carolina (2019-2023) was defined by winning and sheer dominance. It’s actually funny to think of how many games she won in college. By the time she left college, she had played 138 games. She only lost 9 of them! Yes, she went 129-9 throughout her four years at South Carolina. Granted, the South Carolina team was a dynasty in Div.I, but Boston was not only the best player but also the defensive anchor for this squad.

In her very first college game, against Alabama State, Boston made history as the first NCAA Div I player to ever record a triple double in their debut. She put up a stunning statline of 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks. This was just a sign of things to come, as she went on to sweep every national Freshman of the Year award that year. She also led the SEC in field goal percentage, and set a freshman program record with 86 blocks. Her defensive dominance would continue in her sophomore year, when she would average a double-double on her way to another SEC Defensive Player of the Year. In leading the Gamecocks to another SEC title, she became the only player in the country to be a finalist for both the Naismith Trophy and the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.

Her junior year ended up being arguably the most dominant season in modern college basketball history. She averaged another double-double, this time with 16.8 points per game and 12.5 rebounds per game while also adding 2.4 blocks per game. In doing so, she led South Carolina to a National Championship, becoming the first player since Breanna Stewart to win a national title and the Wooden Award in the same year. She was easily the best player in the country that year, evidenced by the fact that she swept all five National Player of the Year awards and was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player. She also set an SEC record with 27 consecutive double-doubles. 

To cap off her incredible college career, Boston led the Gamecocks to an undefeated regular season in her senior year, culminating in another Final Four berth. They would lose in heartbreaking fashion to a tough Iowa squad, led by sharpshooting guard Caitlin Clark, (Ironically, this is where the famous you-can’t-see-me gesture drama started) but the season was still a success. Boston won her fourth consecutive Lisa Leslie Award (for the best center) and made history again when she became the first player in SEC history to be named Defensive Player of the Year four times. By the time she left college, she had broken the career program record for double-doubles and finished as the all time leader in rebounds and blocks. 

It was time for her to bring her dominance to the pros.

WNBA Career

The WNBA has seen some undebatable first overall picks these past few years. Last year, it was Paige Bueckers, selected first overall to the Dallas Wings. The year before that, it was Caitlin Clark, drafted by the Indiana Fever. In 2023, the first overall pick was just as clear cut. The moment the Fever got the pick, the whole world knew that they were going to draft the 6’5” center from South Carolina.

Boston against the Lynx

The moment Boston was drafted by the Indiana Fever, she revitalized the organization. She made the All-Star team in her rookie year, (she’s made it all three years of her pro career) and was unanimously named the Rookie of the Year. She also became the first rookie since 2014 to start in the All-Star game. Additionally, she made history as the first rookie ever to lead the league in field goal percentage. The efficiency she displayed night in and night out was truly unprecedented,(she shot over 70% from the field in her first six games as a pro) and she was the lone bright spot for a young Indiana team that struggled to create consistent offense. Her scoring and rebounding prowess had translated smoothly into the WNBA, with her becoming the first rookie in league history to amass 550 total points and 325 total rebounds.

While her sophomore season was arguably even more dominant, (her efficiency remained elite, ranking 5th in the league in FG%) her third season turned out to be her most complete season ever. In this season, she transformed into an offensive hub for the Fever. She ended up leading all centers in assists, displaying a level of playmaking that she had shown flashes of possessing before. Her relentless motor was a driving force for her team, which was coping with losing their other star player in Clark for the rest of the season. This was evidenced by her statistical dominance, as her team’s offensive rating was 8 points higher and defensive rating 2 points higher with her in the lineup. Against all odds, Boston led her undermanned team to a surprise WNBA semifinal berth, where they would lose to the eventual champion Aces in a tough- fought series. 

The first three years of Boston in the WNBA have done nothing but prove that she is a generational talent. She’s on her way to rewriting the franchise record books. She is only 64 boards away from 3rd all time in Fever history, a feat she should easily accomplish this upcoming season. 

Signature moments

Sports history is littered with many an athlete who were extremely gifted and talented, but who caved when the pressure got to them. The WNBA is no exception. It is well known that it is in these high pressure moments that legends are born. We all know of the legendary stories; Michael Jordan's iconic gamewinner against the Jazz in the 1998 NBA finals, Tom Brady leading a historic comeback against the Atlanta Falcons at Superbowl LI, Lebron James’ legendary block on Iguodala’s layup in the 2016 NBA finals and of course, “The Shot” by T.Spoon in the 1999 WNBA finals.

While Boston is yet to have an iconic moment worthy of a catchy nickname, she’s had some pretty significant moments thus far in her career, proving that she really is built for the moment. Forget the fact that she had a triple double in her very first college game, which I could argue is one of the most pressure-filled games of her career, she has on multiple occasions shown that she has ice in her veins. Take, for example, the NCAA National Championship game against UConn in 2022, where she anchored the title win while putting up 16 boards and winning Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Or maybe when she had her career high against the Seattle Storm, exploding for 31 points on 13-18 shooting, proving she could dominate as a primary scoring option.

However, these moments pale in comparison to the efforts she has put in her playoff appearances so far. In 2025, the Fever faced the Atlanta Dream in a playoff game they needed to win in order to advance to the semifinals. After yet another dominant performance from Boston, she hit a game-winning layup with 7.4 seconds left to win the game and get her team to the semis. This capped their most successful run in franchise history, which Boston had been central to. In the semis, they faced a perennial contender in the Aces with MVP A’ja Wilson.

During this matchup, it was clear that Boston was the best hope to contain the MVP, and she did as good a job as anyone. Not only was she guarding Wilson, and doing so rather effectively, she was also imposing her will on the other end. During a win-or-go-home game 4, Boston posted 24 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists, leading the Fever to a critical victory. This was by far the biggest game in her pro career, and she had passed the test with flying colors. Sure, the outmatched Fever lost in five games, but they gave the eventual champions the hardest battle of any team, and this was without Clark pulling the strings. Boston had proven that she was capable of leading the team into a deep playoff run.

2026 expectations

With the WNBA and the Players’ Association agreeing to the new CBA, the ball has been set rolling for the start of the highly anticipated 2026 season. While many are awaiting the return of Caitlin Clark from her season ending injury last year, the much more underdiscussed Boston is set to have the year of her life. Many believe that this could be the year she breaks out as a premier defender in the league, maybe a DPOY candidate, but what if her ceiling is much higher than that?

The two-woman game between Clark and Boston has proven to be lethal throughout their two years of playing together. Clark’s fast paced offense, paired with her limitless range, compliment Boston’s rolling, offensive rebounding and midrange shotmaking. Together, they have become one of the best duos in the entire WNBA, but that might just be scratching the surface. If Boston can reach the defensive heights she showed in college, and her offensive game can keep progressing at this rate, the Fever might truly become unguardable in the coming years.

When I started working on this article, I reached out to the Fever fans on their subreddit with one simple question: What did they feel was Aliyah’s ceiling? The response was overwhelming; they have extremely high expectations for their starting center. Some even went on to say that she has MVP potential, which I tend to agree with. The matchup with A’ja Wilson in the playoffs did little to disprove this, and given how dominant she has been throughout her entire career, it’s obvious why this sentiment is shared in league circles. 

Injury concerns

Boston has been quite healthy so far in her career, but that changed this offseason when she suffered a “right lower extremity” injury while playing in the Unrivaled tournament. This injury kept her from the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. She has since returned to Indiana and has been spotted without a visible brace, which is a good sign. The Indiana Fever have remained optimistic about her recovery ahead of the 2026 season, and she seems to be in high spirits. The injury did come at an inopportune time, seeing as she was playing some of her best basketball before she went down. 

As we count down to opening night of the 2026 season, Aliyah Boston is one of the players I am most excited to watch and cover. I cannot honestly put a ceiling on what she can become, but I will be following it extremely closely. It might take her some time to get back up to speed post-injury, but she will make up for it with her relentlessness and her high basketball IQ. These are the things that make her special, and if she doesn’t skip a beat, who knows what she, and the Fever as a whole, could accomplish in 2026?