South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley recently shared a congratulatory message for her former player Aliyah Boston, who has received a major city honor. On Tuesday, Indiana Fever’s X handle revealed that going forward, the city of Boston, in Massachusetts, will celebrate “Aliyah Boston Day” on July 14 every year.
Governor Maura Healey and City Councilor Brian Worrell did the honors at the Massachusetts State House to celebrate Caitlin Clark’s Indiana teammate Aliyah’s journey to a WNBA All‑Star.
This prompted a proud Staley to repost the Fever’s commemorative video of the standout WNBA sophomore’s milestone on her X handle. Given that Aliyah Boston played in Columbia and Indianapolis at the college and professional levels, respectively, Staley playfully urged the two cities to honor the 23-year-old.
“WE ARE ALL WITNESSES OF @aa_boston GREATNESS!! Congrats AB! Columbia and Indy you’re on the clock,” Dawn Staley wrote on X.
WE ARE ALL WITNESSES OF @aa_boston GREATNESS!! Congrats AB! Columbia and Indy you’re on the clock! https://t.co/a5QxFaOm7h
— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) July 15, 2025
Aliyah played her whole college basketball tenure under the tutelage of Staley from 2019 to 2023. The Gamecocks then notably won the 2022 national championship, with Boston taking home Most Outstanding Player (MOP) honors.
She was drafted by Indiana in the 2023 WNBA Draft with the first overall pick in the first round and won the Rookie of the Year award in that season.
Dawn Staley’s Former Player, Aliyah Boston, Delivers Motivational Acceptance Speech After Receiving City Honor
In her acceptance speech at the Massachusetts State House, Aliyah Boston delivered an inspiring speech, urging her fans and supporters to embrace their journeys.
“Don’t ever let anyone determine your worth. Don’t let them tell you what you can or can’t be in life because you are more than that, and everyone’s path is different. So, don’t compare your path to the person to your left, the person to your right, because it’s never gonna be the same. So, just embrace your journey and do the best that you can and dream big,” Boston said (via Sports Illustrated).
Boston and the rest of coach Stephanie White’s Fever will continue their 2025 WNBA campaign on Wednesday, July 16, against the New York Liberty in away territory as they look to improve on their 12-10 record thus far, good for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. For her alma mater, coach Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks, they are looking to avenge their foiled 2024 NCAA title defense in the 2025-26 season.
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