Aliyah Boston had a rocky first year in the WNBA. Although the Indiana Fever forward won the 2023 Rookie of the Year award, her arrival on the professional hardwood took a high toll. A year later, the player feels stronger, thanks to the care she has put into her mental health.

Boston came to the Fever as 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 rookie year. However, her performance did not help the Fever. Ultimately, the team finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and tenth overall.

Her sophomore year didn’t start in the best way either. The Fever lost eight of their first nine games, and rookie Caitlin Clark, who came to reinforce Boston, struggled with the transition on and off the court.

Amid this storm, Boston found an oasis of peace thanks to an attitude focused on preserving her peace of mind. After the bad start to the season, the forward is averaging 18 points and 9.5 rebounds, which puts Indiana in seventh place overall, fighting for a playoff berth.

Ailyah Boston’s secret

“I feel like I started protecting my peace. I just made sure that I was doing stuff that I needed to do that benefits me so that when I get out on that court, I’m not really worried about anyone, anything – just me ,” Boston revealed in statements to Andscape before the All-Star Game.

Boston admitted that the start of the season was more difficult than she expected, and it had her in a hard place, mentally speaking. The Fever star is still trying to rediscover 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 explained.

The noise around her forced Boston to close her social media accounts. At that moment, the forward decided she needed to focus on herself. “Since then, I’ve just been able to focus on me [and] continue to work hard,” she detailed.

Thanks to this, the former Gamecock indicated she began to achieve her goals. “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 player explained.

Her relationship with Caitlin Clark

After the rocky start, Boston has managed to connect with Clark, the first overall selection in the 2024 Draft. “She’s only getting better and better each game [and] continues to improve,” said the South Carolina University graduate regarding her new teammate.

She stressed that she has tried to build a stronger relationship with her new teammate to benefit the team. “The biggest advice I gave Caitlin was just to be herself,” she recalled. “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 stressed

Clark, for her part, has great respect for Boston. “Not only is she a great basketball player, but she’s a great person. She’s a great leader in our locker room. She’s always had my back. She’s just someone that I can read on. But I think our chemistry and our connection just continues to grow,” stressed the Fever rookie.