South Carolina basketball legend Aliyah Boston recently finished up a unanimous WNBA Rookie of the Year campaign in which she broke several all-time records for first-year players. She was also the first rookie to start the WNBA All-Star Game in almost a decade.
Boston is already one of the most loved figures in the league. On top of her elite play, she has always carried herself with a level of integrity and class that has been obvious to anyone who has seen her play.
So, why would anyone feel the need to take a shot at Aliyah Boston?
The answer to that question is unknown, but based on a since-deleted tweet from Sportico that was retweeted by the official account of the LSU women’s basketball program, someone felt the need to do just that.
In the tweet, Sportico highlighted LSU star Angel Reese’s NIL valuation (a hefty $1.7 Million) by comparing it to Boston’s WNBA salary.
Former South Carolina state legislator Bakari Sellers came to Aliyah Boston‘s defense.
The thing is, @LSUwbkb retweeting this BS doesn’t surprise anyone. @aa_boston has done nothing but respect and grow the game. She is a queen and an all time great. #ItsPersonal pic.twitter.com/Te63ktBqSn
— Bakari Sellers (@Bakari_Sellers) November 1, 2023
The perceived slight at Boston’s bank account is not one that makes much sense, either. Reese’s NIL valuation is how much total money she can make as a college athlete (NIL is the only legal means of making money as an NCAA athlete). Boston makes significantly more money through endorsements than she does through her WNBA salary.
Some did not take Sportico’s tweet as a slight against Boston but a swipe at the WNBA’s salary structure. Even if that is the case, the message was delivered in a way that was unclear and that paints an incorrect picture of reality.
No one other than Aliyah Boston knows for sure how much money she makes, but Sportsmanor estimates that her net worth is around $2 Million, a number comparable to Reese’s $3 Million worth.
Both Aliyah Boston and Angel Reese do very well for themselves financially, are excellent basketball players, and are doing their part to advance the game of women’s basketball. Needless (and slanted) comparisons like this one don’t help anyone and actually work to devalue the hard work of one of the best players and people in the sport.
Sportico (and whichever intern who operates the LSU women’s basketball Twitter page), just stop. Let Aliyah Boston and Angel Reese continue to be excellent at what they do without trying to tear down either’s accomplishments.