INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston has been named the unanimous 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year, the WNBA announced today. Boston received all 60 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. She is the second player to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award with the Fever, joining Tamika Catchings (2002). Boston was also awarded the Associated Press Rookie of the Year on September 12.
In addition to winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award, Boston leads the 2023 WNBA All-Rookie Team. She is joined by Seattle Storm guard-forward Jordan Horston, Minnesota Lynx forwards Dorka Juhász and Diamond Miller and Washington Mystics guard Li Meng. Boston is the ninth player in franchise history to make the WNBA All-Rookie Team, joining NaLyssa Smith (2022), Queen Egbo (2022), Julie Allemand (2020), Teaira McCowan (2019), Kelsey Mitchell (2018), Tiffany Mitchell (2016), Natalie Achonwa (2015) and Tan White (2005).
Boston shot a WNBA-high 57.8 percent from the field, becoming the first rookie to lead the league in that category in a season while also averaging 14.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocked shots in 31.2 minutes in 40 games.
Boston was selected as a starter for the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game, becoming the sixth rookie to start an All-Star Game and the first since 2014. She was named the WNBA Rookie of the Month in three of the four months of the season (May, June and August).
The 6-foot-5 Boston led all WNBA rookies in points, rebounds, steals, blocks and minutes per game. She became the first rookie in league history to have at least 550 total points and 325 total rebounds in a season. Her rebounding total (335) was the second highest by a first-year WNBA player, behind Tina Charles (398 in 2010).
Making an immediate impact in the WNBA, Boston averaged 15.8 points and shot 70.9 percent from the field in her first six games of the season. She finished the season with a rookie-leading 11 double-doubles.
Boston posted 20 points and a career-high 14 rebounds to go with three assists, two steals and two blocks against the Las Vegas Aces on June 26, marking the second time a WNBA rookie ever reached each of those five totals in a game. On September 1 against the Dallas Wings, Boston recorded 27 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, making her the fifth rookie to have at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game.
Indiana selected Boston with the first overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. In a decorated collegiate career at the University of South Carolina, Boston was a four-time recipient of both All-America honors and the Lisa Leslie Award as the nation’s top center, and a two-time winner of both the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year awards. In the 2021-22 season, she led the Gamecocks to the national championship and was the consensus National Player of the Year.
In honor of being named the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year, Boston will receive $5,150 and a trophy designed to commemorate the achievement.