Aliyah Boston, the 2022 National Player of the Year at South Carolina and one of the top players in all of women's college basketball, announced Saturday her intentions to enter the 2023 WNBA Draft. Boston's announcement comes one day after South Carolina's undefeated season ended with a loss to Iowa in the Final Four.
Boston made her announcement via a Twitter post in which she profusely thanked her teammates, family, coaches and fans at South Carolina. Boston was a three-time unanimous All-American with the Gamecocks, and also won National Player of the Year honors in 2022.
Per CBS Sports' Jack Maloney, Boston is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft.
God makes no mistakes❤️ this program has been so good to my family and I. Wouldn’t trade these past 4 years for anything. With love gamecock nation❤️ #forevertothee pic.twitter.com/tM2iY0lMet
— Aliyah A. Boston (@aa_boston) April 1, 2023
"There is a quote that says -- Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away," Boston wrote. "In this moment, I am truly breathless as I make the next best decision of my life. I have decided to further pursue my dream by declaring for the 2023 WNBA Draft."
Boston had been noncommittal about her intentions for the WNBA Draft in the immediate aftermath of her team's exit from the Final Four, but Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley would tell reporters that she would encourage her star to move up to the next level.
"I'm going to tell her to go," Staley told reporters. "There are defenses that are played against her that won't allow her to play her game and it's hard to officiate that. So I would tell her to go. She's great. She's ready. She's ready to see single coverage. She's ready to make the next step to the league."
The 2023 WNBA Draft is set for April 10, with the Indiana Fever holding the No. 1 overall pick.
