One thing Aliyah Boston will do is a call out a ref she doesn’t agree with.
Aliyah Boston is making the most of her WNBA offseason, including attending an NBA game and telling the coach when to challenge a call.
Alright, at this point, I’m giggling. First, Aliyah’s Fever teammate Caitlin Clark called out the refs when she recently attended an Iowa-Drake game. Now, Aliyah did the same when she went to a Cavs-Celtics matchup. She was courtside when the refs made a questionable call, prompting her to hysterically tell Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson to use his coach’s challenge.
Here’s what happened. Jayson Tatum was dribbling toward the hoop when he lost the ball out of bounds. The refs initially called it a jump ball. After conversing with his staff (and seemingly with input from Boston), Atkinson challenged the call. It was successful, and somebody owes Aliyah Boston a consultant’s fee because SHE WAS RIGHT.
Fans loved Teaira McCowan waving to cameras after an exchange with Aliyah Boston got her ejected.
Teaira McCowan was not a fan of the officiating during a Wings-Fever matchup. After she was ejected for getting a technical during an exchange with Aliyah Boston, she diabolically waived to nearby cameras.
The referees during a Dallas-Indy thriller were not really high up on McCowan’s list before she was ejected. She was already sitting on one technical and had given them a thumbs-down gesture earlier in the game.
Then, late in the 4th quarter, Teaira exchanged words with Aliyah Boston, eventually shoving her mid-conversation, which earned her another tech — Aliyah got a tech, too — and a subsequent ejection. The wild thing was there were not even two seconds left on the game clock. So, McCowan seemingly waited in the visitors’ tunnel for her team and then diabolically waived to nearby cameras.
So, it’s not shocking at all — actually, it’s spectacularly on-brand — that their gameday routine consists of saying positive affirmations, like telling each other, “You are amazing” ahead of each matchup.
Aliyah Boston and the Indiana Fever struggled in the early parts of the season, and at one point, the noise surrounding the team was deafening.
It was hard to miss Indiana’s early woes — tons of turnovers, missed shots and little chemistry. The chatter surrounding the team became so bad and toxic that head coach Christie Sides blasted critics for not giving her players enough grace. But it kept going. And a lot of it was directed at Boston, who, admittedly, looked a long way from the basketball that earned her 2023 Rookie of the Year honors.
“For me, it was really just the constant noise…I feel like every time I opened it up, there was something about me or something about our team. I don’t internalize a lot of stuff, but when you continue to see stuff over and over again, I mean, it makes it hard not to second-guess yourself…”
“I needed to take that step back so I can make sure that I know what I’m doing. I know that I’m confident in myself, my game…I knew that what I was doing was enough.”
And to the people who hurl hate or unwarranted judgment at athletes, Boston says they are forgetting one thing:
“People forget that we’re human, and the moment that you put the human perspective into it, it should change what you say.”
“At the end of the day, if this was your daughter, your niece, your cousin getting hate spewed toward them, you would want to make it stop.”
The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game should be really good — so good that Aliyah Boston joked that Caitlin Clark would likely get a technical foul.
It’s not a secret that Team WNBA and Team USA are taking Saturday’s contest seriously. Team USA will use the game as time to develop chemistry before Paris. As Cheryl Miller informed the media Friday, Team WNBA wants to “beat the brakes” off the Olympians.
That means what was thought to be an exhibition is probably going to be a WHOLE LOT like an actual game. So many things could happen, and Aliyah Boston knows it. While discussing the weekend’s events on the orange carpet Thursday, Aliyah answered a technical foul question by perfectly segwaying into the next person behind her. That individual was Caitlin Clark.
Aliyah Boston was having NONE of Caitlin Clark’s shenanigans.
On Wednesday, Caitlin Clark created another WNBA milestone. But true to form, Aliyah Boston jumped it to praise her for it before Caitlin could dismiss the achievement.
By all accounts, Caitlin Clark doesn’t really shout from the rooftops about her achievements. She usually tries to play it cool and goes on about her day. And her teammate won’t let her do it. When Caitlin dropped the first rookie triple-double in WNBA history, Aliyah praised her, while Caitlin was just seemingly happy about getting the win that day.
Caitlin now owns the WNBA record for most assists in a game (19), and you guessed it: Aliyah was having none of Caitlin trying to downplay the whole thing. Before Caitlin could say a word about it, she told media members, “She’s going to say it means nothing, but I think it’s pretty cool. I think that’s pretty cool. So, sorry.”
When CC is asked what the single-game assists record means to her, Aliyah Boston jumps in:
“She’s going to say it means nothing, but I think it’s pretty cool. It’s pretty cool.” pic.twitter.com/gPBa7JRRyc
Caitlin Clark had high praise for Fever teammate Aliyah Boston, calling her “such a positive light in our locker room.”
Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark wouldn’t be having the trailblazing season she’s having without teammate Aliyah Boston, and she praised Boston’s impact on Tuesday while speaking with reporters.
Outside of the clear impact Boston has on the court for Indiana, Clark said that she is a major force for good in the Fever locker room.
“She’s such a positive light in our locker room,” Clark said, via Clutch Sports’ Matthew Byrne. “She’s been somebody that’s been really helpful throughout my rookie year, obviously having gone through it just a year ago… I’m really thankful for her.”
Caitlin Clark on her friendship with Aliyah Boston: “she’s such a positive light in our locker room… she’s been somebody that’s been really helpful throughout my rookie year, obviously having gone through it just a year ago… I’m really thankful for her.”
We’re very intrigued to see how Clark and Boston continue to gel on the court as the Fever’s season continues, as it’s clear these two rising stars will be pillars for Indiana for years to come.
The Indiana Fever hit the weight room this week ahead of their Wednesday home game against the Washington Mystics, and forward Aliyah Boston shared a very funny TikTok of her, Caitlin Clark and their teammates getting the work in.
In the video, various Fever players lifted weights and went through various workouts, and it ended with a hilarious clip of Clark trying to lift weights with her legs that are far above her ability.
She and Boston still flex at the end of the video for fun, but the snippet of Clark failing to lift the heavy load on the weight machine was pretty good.
POV: Hitting the weight room with Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever 💪
While speaking with reporters after becoming the first WNBA rookie to ever record a triple-double in a game, Clark deflected all the praise to her Fever teammates for how well they’ve all played together on the court recently.
Well, Boston chimed in after Clark finished heaping compliments on her fellow Fever players by hyping up what Clark achieved on Saturday.
“She’s so humble, isn’t she?” Boston said with a smile about Clark, via Clutch Points Fever reporter Matthew Byrne. “That was pretty cool, Caitlin.”
Caitlin Clark on how the win adds to the triple-double: “Honestly, I’m just happy we won — [ends with] — but I mean, I don’t know.”
Aliyah Boston then interrupts: “She’s so humble isn’t she? Well let me tell ya. That was pretty cool Caitlin. Great job sister!”
What a great, great teammate Boston was for Clark in that moment.
While Clark definitely is the type to downplay her accomplishments on the court, Boston showed what a great support system Clark has in Indianapolis by making sure the rookie got her flowers after such a colossal performance.
It also had Boston fired up, too. As Clark was responding to a question about how much it adds on to her accomplishment as the first Fever player to record a triple-double given that the team also won the game, Boston interjected to share some of her thoughts on the feat.
“She’s so humble, isn’t she? Let me tell you, that’s pretty cool, Caitlin. Great job sister,” Boston said.
Before Boston interjected, Clark reacted to becoming the first Fever player to record a triple-double.
“Honestly, I’m just happy we won. Like I’ve said, I take a lot of pride in being able to do a lot of different things for this team. I want to be able to…I think we’re really good when I can get the ball off the glass and just go in transition and find my teammates and set them up. Obviously, 13 assists, that means my teammates made 13 shots off my passes, so that goes to them,” Clark said.
Clark pointed out earlier in the press conference how well her teammates have been finishing off her passes when asked what her reaction was to becoming the first WNBA rookie to tally a triple-double.
“Obviously, it’s really cool. I mean, my teammates have been finishing the ball really, really at a high rate. My assists numbers. That’s because of them. Just finding them in positions to be successful, whether it’s AB, whether it’s Lyss. I thought we’ve done a really good job of that. But yeah, I guess it’s cool,” Clark said.
Dating back to her time at Iowa, Clark’s teams are now 18-0 in games where she registers a triple-double.
Clark finished with 19 points, 13 assists, 12 rebounds and two steals while shooting 7-of-17 from the field and 3-of-12 from 3-point range.
The Fever return to action on Wednesday, July 10 versus the Washington Mystics in a game that tips at 11 a.m. CT on NBA TV.
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