Aliyah Boston may only be 24 years old, but she is already a three-time All-Star and was named to the All-WNBA Second Team and the All-Defensive Second Team this past season. At this point, she isn’t just one of the best young bigs in the league anymore. She is one of the best bigs, regardless of age.
The WNBA is filled with talented bigs, but A’ja Wilson easily tops the list. Wilson has led the Aces to three championships since 2022, was named the Finals MVP in 2023 and 2025, has four regular-season MVP awards on her resume, was named Defensive Player of the Year three times, and led the league in blocks and points in several seasons already. Wilson is the best player in the world right now and on track to become the WNBA GOAT.
So, being likened to Wilson is the highest praise a young center in the W can receive. Kelsey Plum, who is Boston’s teammate in Unrivaled, delivered just that.
When Plum appeared on Post Moves, Aliyah Boston’s podcast with Candace Parker, she told Boston, “Obviously, I had a ton of respect playing against you. I know how good you are offensively, and I don’t think you get enough credit defensively for how good you are. But then being your teammate and just watching you gobble people up in the paint on both sides…It reminds me in a lot of ways of A’ja. You don’t really have to worry about anything. You just kind of like throw it in the vicinity, and they’re gonna get it. You make me look good a lot.”
Aliyah Boston and A’ja Wilson both played their college basketball in South Carolina
Boston is following in A’ja Wilson’s footsteps in a lot of ways. Wilson played for Dawn Staley at the University of South Carolina between 2014 and 2018. She led the team to a championship in 2017 and amassed many individual accolades, like the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award, the AP and Naismith College Player of the Year awards, the Lisa Leslie Award, and the Wade Trophy. Wilson left the program as its all-time leading scorer and had her jersey retired.
Boston joined the Gamecocks in 2019, led the team to a national championship in 2022, and took home many of the same individual accolades as Wilson. Like Wilson, Boston entered the WNBA as the number one pick in her draft class and made a smooth transition to the pro game.
When it comes to the W, Boston (or anyone else, really) may never catch up with Wilson, but she undoubtedly has a bright future. Barring another injury-ridden season, Boston could lead the Fever on another deep playoff run and add another All-WNBA selection to her resume. Dawn Staley also predicted that Boston would win an MVP award eventually.