Aliyah Boston returns to Boston and gets her flowers

Just above her is greatness hanging in the rafters, including the Boston Celtics’ 18 championship banners — the most ever won by an NBA franchise — and the Boston Bruins’ six Stanley Cup titles, as well all the names of the players of each of these teams whose numbers have been retired. Down below, Boston and her Fever teammates are now writing history, too, by competing against the Sun in the second-ever WNBA game to be played at TD Garden.

It’s just another day of Boston making history. Just 24 hours ago, the Virgin Islands native, who moved to Massachusetts when she was young and went on to become a star at Worcester Academy, was honored by the City of Boston. The city named July 14 as “Aliyah Boston Day” as a tribute to all of her athletic achievements and the impact she’s had on women’s sports.

“It’s super special, especially because I feel like I have so many homes — the Virgin Islands, Massachusetts,” Boston told The Next. “To have my own day, I think that’s just super special.”

The ceremony, which took place at the Massachusetts State House, was led by the Governor of Massachusetts, Maura Healey and City Councilor Brian Worrell. Boston’s teammates, as well as Fever head coach Stephanie White, were also there in attendance to support her.

“It was a pretty good experience for me, for AB to get recognized,” said Kelsey Mitchell.

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Afterwards, Boston and her Fever squad put on an electric performance in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,000 fans, defeating the Sun, 85-77. Boston, who scored 11 points and made 6 rebounds, was even embraced by legends like Tina Charles after the game.

“It was pretty awesome. I thought the environment was great,” Boston said of the atmosphere at TD Garden. “The crowd was pretty loud [and] oh my gosh, my family. I enjoy any moment that my family gets to come to a game.”

Boston’s connection to New England goes way back. Long before she arrived in the WNBA and was selected by Indiana as the No. 1 pick in the 2020 WNBA draft, she was just a young standout at Worcester Academy, a day and boarding school, setting records of her own.

As a high school junior, she averaged 21.2 points, 14 rebounds, 6.2 blocks, 2.5 assists, and 2.2 steals a game. In 2019, she led the Hilltoppers to their first New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSCAC) title since 2006 and was named Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year. The accolades continued during her senior season: she won another state title, another Gatorade Player of the Year award, was named a McDonald’s All-American and graduated as Worcester Academy’s all-time leading scorer.

Back then, Boston told Boston.com that it was “good to see that people are starting to respect the game [of women’s basketball] more than they did before.” Little did she know that she’d emerge into a monumental figure growing the game too, as a future NCAA champion and the Gamecocks’ all-time leader in rebounds, as well as the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2023. Today, Boston is now a three-time All-Star and will be a starter for Team Clark at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis.

From having her jersey retired at her alma mater last December, to playing in TD Garden, and now, having her own day named after her, Boston admits that she couldn’t have imagined all of this.

“I never dreamt of it, I never thought about it,” she said. “To be able to actually live that yesterday was pretty awesome.”