Sunday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse was packed with surprises and drama, a reality that culminated in the Indiana Fever's 90-83 win over the Las Vegas Aces, a win that forced a Game 5 in the two teams' unlikely Semifinals run.
Two players are at the center of the fracas between the teams: A'ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston, who share a common root. They both played for Dawn Staley at the University of South Carolina, though at different times: Wilson from 2014-2018, and Boston from 2019-2023. Wilson was drafted as the No. 1 overall pick by the Aces in the 2018 WNBA Draft, and Boston as the No. 1 overall pick in 2023.
When she joined the Gamecocks, Boston was the answer to Wilson's departure. Boston was the top post player of the class of 2019 and the No. 3 recruit in the nation, and she joined the Gamecocks as part of the No. 1 recruiting class of the year. She inherited a strong program from Wilson, and benefitted enormosuly from that.
Fast-forward several years and you land in 2025: specifically, on today, September 30, 2025, when something between the two teams, and perhaps between the two players in question, will be decided.
Boston has been guarding Wilson heavily throughout the Semifinals, something that has appeared to elicit different reactions from the four-time MVP: she's alternately seemed euphoric and strong, frustrated, and downright annoyed. To her credit, Boston has appeared wholly unbothered about how Wilson feels about anything she's done on the court; after all, as she told ESPN's Holly Rowe, they're professionals. This is part of the game.
But the dynamic between the pair has caught the eye of fans, who are intrigued by what might be shaping up to be a long-term rivalry between two former Gamecocks who never really spent time on the court together until they were both pros. Watching a rising star like Boston unabashedly take on a leader like Wilson — and watching Wilson shut her right down in the process — is the kind of healthy basketball that fans want to see. It makes the games fun, challenging, and exciting.
For Wilson and Boston, there's a little bit more than just a basketball game — even a crucial game like tonight's — on the line. The pair share a special tie through Staley, largely considered one of the best collegiate coaches, period. Both women are stepping into their roles as leaders in the league, and, just like she's done before, Wilson is paving a way for Boston and for every WNBA player who is younger than her and who wants to be great.
Whatever is brewing between the two has the potential to bring drama to the WNBA for years to come, and to birth a rivalry that could carry these two women through the next 10 years of their careers. Sure, Fever versus Aces is the main show tonight, but in the long run, it might just be Wilson versus Boston for as many rounds as they can handle.