by Bill Kiser
Indiana Fever center and St. Thomas native Aliyah Boston earned her first postseason award as a pro Tuesday, being named the Associated Press’ WNBA Rookie of the Year.
The 6-foot-5 Boston was also one of two Fever players named to AP’s WNBA All-Rookie Team for the 2023 season, along with Indiana’s Grace Berger, Dorka Juhasz and Diamond Miller of the Minnesota Lynx, Jordan Horston of the Seattle Storm, and Haley Jones of the Atlanta Dream.
Boston, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, is the presumptive pick for the league’s Rookie of the Year and All-Rookie Team when they are announced Monday, Oct. 2, during the WNBA Playoffs. She is also under consideration for the WNBA’s All-Defensive Team, which will be announced Thursday, Oct. 5.
The AP’s WNBA awards are voted on by a 12-member media panel.
Boston set several team and league records en route to earning three WNBA rookie of the month awards (for May, June and August), the Eastern Conference player of the week award for June 12-18, and being named a starter for the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas — the first rookie since 2014, and just the eighth in the game’s 24-year history.
On the rookie of the month award, Boston was also the eighth player in league history to earn the award at least three times in a season. The others are Tina Charles (2010), Nneka Ogwumike (2012), Elena Delle Donne (2013), Breanna Stewart (2016), A’ja Wilson (2018), Michaela Onyenwere (2021) and Rhyne Howard (2022).
This season, Boston became the first rookie to lead the league in field goal percentage (57.8%), and led all of the WNBA’s rookies in scoring (14.4 points per game), rebounding (8.4 per game), steals (1.3 per game), blocked shots (1.3 per game) and minutes played (31.2 per game).
Boston set franchise rookie records for blocked shots (50), and is second all-time for points scored (578) and steals (53) by a rookie. She also sits second on the WNBA’s all-time list for most rebounds (335) by a rookie, and third for field goals made by a rookie (233).
Originally posted on virginislandsdailynews.com