Aliyah Boston had a difficult first year in the WNBA. Despite winning the 2023 Rookie of the Year award, the Indiana Fever forward’s debut on the professional basketball court was costly. A year later, the athlete feels stronger as a result of the efforts she has made to improve her mental health.
Boston selected the Fever with the first overall pick in the 2023 draft. She averaged 14.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 31.2 minutes per game in her first season. However, her performance did not benefit the Fever. Finally, the squad finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and eleventh overall.
Her sophomore year didn’t start well either. The Fever lost eight of their first nine games, and rookie Caitlin Clark, who arrived to help Boston, struggled with the transition both on and off the court.
Despite the storm, Boston found an oasis of tranquility thanks to a mindset centered on maintaining her peace of mind. After a rough start to the season, the forward is averaging 18 points and 9.5 rebounds, putting Indiana in seventh place overall and fighting for a playoff spot.
Ailyah Boston’s Secret
Caitlin Clark was PUMPED to find Aliyah Boston for a bucket#WNBA pic.twitter.com/rU0TlQLirM
— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) July 21, 2024
“I feel like I’ve started defending my peace. I simply made sure that I was doing things that would benefit me so that when I get out on the court, I’m not worrying about anyone or anything – just me,” Boston told Andscape prior to the All-Star Game.
Boston confessed that the season’s start was more challenging than she imagined, and it put her in a tough spot mentally. The Fever star is still striving to regain her playing rhythm. “I’m trying to figure out my pace with everything again, and so I feel like there was just so much talking behind the noise,” she told me.
Due of the clamor around her, Boston was obliged to close her social media accounts. At that point, the forward determined she needed to concentrate on herself. “Since then, I’ve just been able to focus on me [and] continue to work hard,” she told us.
As a result, the former Gamecock stated that she was on her way to meeting her ambitions. “Being an All-Star was definitely one of [the goals] because I feel like being an All-Star as a rookie is really impressive, but it’s always hard to come back and do it again,” the forward said.
I wanna shout out Kelsey Mitchell (@Kelz_Hoop ). Great player and mentor for Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston.
Taking the scoring pressure off her and letting her ease into the game.
Here’s them having a laugh after winning over the Minnesota Lynx!
Aliyah Boston: "Woo! Woo!… pic.twitter.com/kkhJmRMXCo
— Knowledge (@mustkn0w) July 15, 2024
She emphasized that she has worked to strengthen her friendship with her new teammate for the good of the squad. “The biggest advice I gave Caitlin was just to be herself,” she remembers. “Early on in the season I told her, with the attention that you have coming in here, sometimes you’re going to be expecting certain things, and they’re going to try and prove to you like this is a big league,”Boston reiterated
Clark, for her part, holds high regard for Boston. “She’s not just a superb basketball player; she’s also a great person. She’s an excellent leader in our locker room. She’s always got my back. She’s merely someone I can read about. But I believe our chemistry and connection are only growing,” said the Fever rookie.
