Aliyah Boston will miss the rest of the Unrivaled season, which includes semifinals and finals, due to a lower extremity injury she suffered during Friday's game against the Rose BC. Boston and Unrivaled did not specify exactly what the injury is.
The news is unfortunate for Boston's Unrivaled team, but it also potentially throws a lot into question — including the upcoming FIBA tournament in Puerto Rico that Boston is part of, and potentially even the 2026 WNBA season.
Boston is the second-leading scorer for the Phantom BC, who will begin semifinals today. If the team wins, the championship match will be on Wednesday. The news is especially tough for the team, as Boston was named the Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year and averaged 18.9 points, a league-leading 2.1 blocks, and 9.7 rebounds during the regular season.
USA Basketball training begins this week
Boston and the rest of Team USA's members who are playing in Unrivaled this season have a tight turnaround: training camp begins Friday.
Boston was part of the group of athletes who attended Team USA training camp in December. Her teammates include Lauren Betts, Cameron Brink, Paige Bueckers, Veronica Burton, Sonia Citron, Caitlin Clark, Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Dearica Hamby, Kiki Iriafen, Rickea Jackson, Brionna Jones, Kelsey Plum, Angel Reese, JuJu Watkins, and Jackie Young. The list may or may not be the final list ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California.
Aliyah Boston's injury could impact the 2026 WNBA season
Though Boston has not disclosed the nature or extent of her injury, it's worth noting that it may have an impact on the 2026 WNBA season. Last year the Indiana Fever suffered a series of season-ending injuries that began with Caitlin Clark's groin injury, and Boston was a major part of the reason the team pushed through and made it to the semifianls.
Not having Boston on the court would be a heavy loss for the Fever, especially since Clark is healthy and presumably will be able to continue the momentum the pair established during the 2024 WNBA season. Boston, who was drafted as the No. 1 overall pick by the Fever in 2023, averaged a career-high 15 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals for the team in 2025. So far, she has never missed a game in the WNBA, and it's incredibly unlikely she wants that streak to break now.