Tag: Aliyah Boston

Fever, Sparks, Mercury and Storm will vie for No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick

The Fever will have the most chances to land the top pick and are guaranteed at least the third pick.

The 23rd annual WNBA draft lottery will be broadcast on Dec. 10 at 4:30 p.m. ET. The Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm will vie for the No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick.

The Fever secured the top spot in the 2023 draft and selected Aliyah Boston No. 1 overall. Boston was unanimously named the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year and received all 60 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

The 2024 draft is currently scheduled to take place on April 15, 2024. Lottery odds are based on the cumulative records of the two most recent regular seasons (2022 and 2023). The Fever will have the most chances to land the top pick and are guaranteed at least the third pick. Phoenix has the next highest likelihood of winning the No. 1 spot, followed by the Sparks and Storm.

The order of selection for the remainder of the first round, second round and third round is determined by inverse order of the teams’ respective 2023 regular season records, taking into account trades and negotiations that might have affected draft order.

The remaining first-round draft order (based on 2023 record):           

5. Dallas from Chicago (18-22)

6. Washington (19-21)

7. Minnesota (19-21)

8. Atlanta (19-21)

9. Dallas (22-18)

10. Connecticut (27-13)

11. New York (32-8)

12. Los Angeles from Las Vegas (34-6)

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South Carolina says yes ‘oui’ can in win over Notre Dame in Paris

The South Carolina Gamcocks and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish played the first-ever NCAA regular-season basketball game in Paris.

The South Carolina Gamecocks and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish played the first NCAA women’s basketball regular-season game in Europe. The Gamecocks walked away with the win, defeating Notre Dame, 100-71, in Paris, France.

“It was really a blank canvas,” said Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley, who posed in front of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece Mona Lisa at the Louvre a few days before the game. “But the chemistry that they’re building is very special.”

South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso had 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, and freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley had 17 points. Five Gamecocks finished in double figures. For the Fighting Irish, Hannah Hidalgo, in her collegiate debut, posted 31 points.

The game drew the attention of notable names in basketball, including Magic Johnson and Kevin Durant. Other notable players and former Gamecocks legends such as Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke also tuned into the game.

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Aliyah Boston named unanimous 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year

She is the first unanimous Rookie of the Year since fellow South Carolina alum A’ja Wilson won the award in 2018.

Indiana Fever forward-center Aliyah Boston was unanimously named the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year. She received all 60 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

She is the first unanimous Rookie of the Year since fellow South Carolina alum A’ja Wilson won the award in 2018. Indiana selected Boston with the first overall pick in the 2023 WNBA draft. In her rookie season, she averaged 14.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocked shots, and shot a WNBA-high 57.8% from the field. She became the first rookie to lead the league in that category in a season.

Boston will receive $5,150 and a trophy to commemorate the achievement.

She is the second player in Fever history to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award, joining Tamika Catchings in 2002. Boston also became the first rookie in WNBA history to have at least 550 total points and 325 total rebounds in a season.

“It is so special and it is really a blessing to have won Rookie of the Year,” Boston said in a video the team shared on social media. “It is one of the goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the season and to be able to accomplish it with God’s help was amazing. So thankful for my teammates because they were really able to put me in the position. Thank you to my coaches because they motivated me. But this is honestly such a blessing and I am super excited.”

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Here’s what the AP voters absolutely got right and wrong for its 2023 WNBA awards

The AP WNBA awards are out and something don’t make sense.

The WNBA regular season slate ended Sunday, giving players and coaches one final opportunity to state their case for why they should be considered among the league’s best talent.

Following the end of the season, a 12-member media group from the Associated Press votes on awards such as Most Valuable Player (MVP), Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), Coach of the Year (COY), and more. These awards precede the league awards that will be announced during post-season play, with the coveted league MVP award announced on September 26.

Here’s what the AP voters absolutely got right and wrong for its 2023 WNBA awards:

Aliyah Boston setting WNBA records in her rookie season

Boston is proving herself as the No. 1 pick with a historic start to her professional career.

Everyone knew Aliyah Boston was good, but she is proving it time and again, this time at the professional level. Boston was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2023 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever.

“Aliyah is ready. She’s always ready. She’s such a pro already,” Fever head coach Christie Sides said.

“She’s just an incredible piece for us. I mean both as a player and as a person. She’s come in every day. She works hard every day. She looks to get better. She talks to her teammates, she talks to the vets a lot about what can I do? How can I get better? How can I do this better for Coach? She’s just an incredible piece for us.”

This was before a preseason game, but Boston has grown leaps and bounds in the first week of the regular season. And she is already setting records.

She’s the first player to start her WNBA career with three consecutive games of 10 points or more and 60% or better shooting from the field.

The Fever had their first win of the season, a 90-87 decision on Sunday against the Atlanta Dream. Boston is averaging 14.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists one steal and one block on 66.7% shooting from the field.

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Brittney Griner’s return and 5 other storylines to watch for the 2023 WNBA Season

Super teams are here in Las Vegas and New York, but what about Elena Delle Donne and the Mystics?

The WNBA is back.

Its 27th season tips off on Friday night with four games, two of which will be nationally televised. The New York Liberty and Washington Mystics face off at 7 p.m. EST on NBA TV, and the Phoenix Mercury square off with the Los Angeles Sparks on ESPN at 11 p.m. EST.

There are plenty of reasons to watch the WNBA this year and the league is hoping to capture the momentum from this year’s NCAA tournament, which set records for viewership.

This week has already been an eventful one for the WNBA, as it announced penalties from the results of its investigation into the Las Vegas Aces, which included a two-game suspension for coach Becky Hammon and the loss of a draft pick. Additionally, several high-profile players were cut in the last week, leading to another outcry for the league to add teams and expand its rosters.

Here are the storylines to pay attention to in the WNBA this season.

Fever’s Christie Sides: Aliyah Boston is an incredible piece for us

Boston recorded eight points and two rebounds in her first preseason game in a loss to the Sky.

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley knew. She always knows.

Aliyah Boston is thriving in the WNBA and the head coach of her new team, the Indiana Fever, praised her ahead of their preseason opener on Sunday versus the Chicago Sky.

“Aliyah is ready. She’s always ready. She’s such a pro already,” Fever head coach Christie Sides said. “She’s young, but I was really excited for her to get to go home and go back to South Carolina and walk across that stage, and I think she told me there were like 14,000 people ahead of her. Like she had to wait on, which I was like, ‘What?’

“She’s just an incredible piece for us. I mean both as a player and as a person. She’s come in every day. She works hard every day. She looks to get better. She talks to her teammates, she talks to the vets a lot about what can I do? How can I get better? How can I do this better for Coach? She’s just an incredible piece for us.”

Boston started the preseason against the Sky. While the Fever lost, 81-56, she played almost 16 minutes and had eight points and two rebounds. Their last preseason game before the season commences is at home against the Dallas Wings on May 13. The season starts for the Fever on May 19 against the Connecticut Sun at home at 7 p.m. ET.

After the game, Boston spoke to the media about her style of play.

Just being physical and being available when my team needed me. Just trying to make sure that I’m posting up strong and taking my time and finishing around the rim.

Boston does have a strong style of play and the refs did penalize her a bit in the game. She walked away with three personal fouls and was tied for first for the highest number of fouls in the game for her team. Boston’s former South Carolina Gamecocks teammate, Destanni Henderson, also had three and so did Victoria Vivians.

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What can players like Aliyah Boston expect to make in the WNBA?

The league’s top players will be able to earn cash compensation in excess of $500,000, which triples the maximum compensation under the previous CBA.

The 2023 WNBA draft welcomed new players into the league, but not all will be playing for a team when the season rolls around. With only 144 roster spots in the league, holding onto a coveted spot is difficult. However, a few athletes, like No. 1 overall pick Aliyah Boston, will likely make a team and be in the starting lineup come the start of the season.

What can players like Boston expect to make in the league? The 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement, which runs through 2027, outlines the salaries and bonuses players can expect to make.

For the first round of the WNBA draft, there are 12 picks.

Picks 1-4 will make a base salary of $74,305 in their first year. Picks 5-8 will receive a base salary of $71,300 and picks 9-12 will receive $68,295.

The CBA also outlines bonuses and other ways to earn and receive monetary compensation as a WNBA player separate and apart from the base salary. WNBA champions can receive bonuses of $11,356 while individual players can earn bonuses for being on the All-WNBA Defensive team among other accolades.

Players are also able to receive revenue-sharing percentages from the league, along with group licensing percentages among other monetary and non-monetary benefits.

The new CBA reflected a 53% increase in total cash compensation for players, which consists of base salary, additional performance bonuses, prize pools for newly created in-season competitions and league and team marketing deals. The league’s top players will be able to earn cash compensation in excess of $500,000, which triples the maximum compensation under the previous CBA. Other top players will have an opportunity to earn between $200,000 and $300,000. Additionally, for the first time in WNBA history, the average cash compensation for players will be nearly $130,000.

These new rookies will enter into a different WNBA than previous classes with increased salaries, travel benefits and enhanced free agency. The expectation is that the league will continue to raise the bar for their athletes while the union continues to advocate and fight for positive changes for all 144 members of the WNBA.

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Aliyah Boston found a savvy way to get instant photos on the WNBA Draft orange carpet

Aliyah Boston found a savvy way to make sure she got as many photos as she could on the WNBA Draft orange carpet.

WNBA Draft prospect and former South Carolina standout Aliyah Boston didn’t want her orange carpet moment to go without a few good snapshots.

Rather than rely on official photos to get shots out quickly, Boston asked reporters on the red carpet if they’d be able to take some photos of her and some of her fellow athletes.

She also had interest in acquiring some of the photos that someone took of somebody taking the photos with her phone.

It’s a really savvy way of making sure you’ve got all the photos you need on such a major night for your career.

It’d be a special night for Boston, as she went first overall in the 2023 WNBA Draft to the Indiana Fever.

She’ll soon transition to her professional career, and she’ll have plenty of snapshots to remember this important night for the rest of her life. We call that a picture-perfect situation.

WNBA Draft Tracker: Grading every pick in the first round in 2023

Obviously, the Fever are set to get an A for taking Aliyah Boston.

It’s Draft Day for the WNBA.

The college season just ended, where we saw Angel Reese talk her talk as she led LSU to a national championship win over Caitlin Clark and Iowa. The women’s basketball calendar now turns to transfer portal season for college, and the draft and preseason for the pros.

Neither Reese or Clark are eligible for the draft this year – and we could even see them skip the draft next year too for a variety of reasons – but this class is still a star-studded one, headlined by South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, the consensus National Player of the Year in 2022. Joining her is Maryland’s Diamond Miller, Tennessee’s Jordan Horston, Stanford’s Haley Jones, and the nation’s leading scorer in Maddy Siegrist.

We’ll grade each pick in real time as they come in (and we’ll factor in trades when they’re reported), so keep refreshing this page to get our opinions on each of the first 12 selections.

Here are the grades: