Aliyah Boston honored at statehouse ahead of WNBA game tomorrow at TD Garden

BOSTON — The last time there was a WNBA game at TD Garden, it was sold out with more than 19,000 fans.

It’ll be a similar situation Tuesday night when not only Caitlin Clark takes the court, but also All-Star Aliyah Boston, who grew up in Massachusetts.

Boston was honored at the State House Monday ahead of her game Tuesday night at TD Garden when the Indiana Fever play the Connecticut Sun.

She went from playing high school basketball at Worcester Academy to becoming the number one pick in the WNBA.

“This is going to be the second year in a row that the TD Garden has sold out,” said Gov. Maura Healey about the game Tuesday.

This game is the hottest ticket in town, which says a lot for a sports city like Boston.

“We bought a block of tickets trying to encourage especially young women to get out and see other women play,” said Paul Pedevillano, who’s excited to attend the game Tuesday.

He says he’s looking forward to seeing not only Boston play but also Caitlin Clark.

“Obviously her shooting and her skill level has brought in new attention to the game so it’s great, the crowds are bigger, the salaries are going up,” said Pedevillano.

“It’s taken so long to just get here, so it’s amazing just to see them flourish and just wishing them more and more success,” said Nicolette Aduama, Senior Associate Director at Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society.

Aduama says players like Clark and Boston are making a huge impact on women’s basketball.

“These players have brought such energy and such viewership and such a following and such a storyline that they’ve really blown the lid off of the possibility that women can be successful, make money, do what they love in this world of sports,” said Aduama.

State leaders say it’s especially inspiring to see someone like Boston, who grew up playing basketball in Massachusetts, lead the way for the next generation of female athletes.

“Don’t ever let anyone determine your worth, don’t let anyone tell you what you can or can’t be in life because you are more than that and everyone’s path is different,” said Boston. “So don’t compare your path to the person to your left or right because it’s never gonna be the same, so just embrace your journey and do the best you can and dream big.”

The governor says with this much interest, she hopes the city of Boston will one day have its own WNBA team.

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