Aliyah Boston Wins 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year; Was No. 1 Pick by Indiana Fever

Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston was the unanimous winner of the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award, receiving all 60 first-place votes.

The 2023 No. 1 overall pick was the heavy favorite for the honor coming into the season and never relinquished that status. She averaged 14.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while earning the first of what promises to be multiple All-Star nods.

The 21-year-old joins elite company. Candace Parker, Tina Charles, Elena Delle Donne and A'ja Wilson are the only other players to be a unanimous Rookie of the Year winner, and all four have gone on to build Hall of Fame-worthy résumés.

She was also one of five honorees on the All-Rookie team.

Boston was perhaps the most heavily hyped draft prospect since another former South Carolina Gamecock, Wilson in 2018. She wasted little time justifying that excitement, putting up 15 points and nine rebounds in her WNBA debut. Her first double-double came in her sixth appearance, a feat she achieved 10 more times.

"You wouldn't know that she's a rookie," teammate Kelsey Mitchell told Andscape's Sean Hurd in July. "She's polished in everything that she does. She's a professional. She's a great post player, obviously. More importantly, she's got the professional look already and she's just getting started. I'm proud of her."

The Fever were listless in the years after Tamika Catchings' retirement in 2016. Their playoff drought extended to seven years in 2023, and this was only the second time they've notched double digits in wins.

Part of that futility stemmed from the absence of a true cornerstone. As good as Mitchell is, she's not the kind of singular star you orient a franchise around, and Indiana whiffed on a number of other lottery picks.

Boston is the first Fever player who looks like a candidate to claim the mantle that once belonged to Catchings. Now, the challenge for the front office is identifying the upgrades who can make the team a top-eight contender in 2024.