Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston said she’s “feeling great” after a lower leg injury sidelined her for the first time in her WNBA career.
“Everything’s great,” Boston said Tuesday. “Ready to practice, get out on the court with my girls, so I’m excited.”
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Boston revealed that she pulled herself out of the Fever’s 104-102 overtime loss to the Washington Mystics out of an abundance of caution. Boston exited the contest with 2:01 remaining in the third quarter with a lower leg injury and was ruled out the remainder of the game. Boston subsequently missed the Fever’s 89-78 win over Seattle Sunday, snapping a streak of 275 consecutive games played dating back to her college days at South Carolina.
“Obviously it sucks because you never want to leave your teammates out there just hooping, but just being cautious. And that was my call, just to pull myself out of there,” Boston said, adding that standing on the sidelines “was super weird for me … but my teammates, they handled business. We got the dub.”
Boston suffered a right lower leg injury while playing for Unrivaled’s Phantom BC earlier this year. Boston missed the Unrivaled postseason and FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico in March as a result.
“Yeah, my lower leg, I’ve definitely had some moments with that, and so for me it’s just about taking it day-to-day,” Boston said. “I think the coaching staff, medical staff (have) just done a great job just talking to me, making sure, asking me how I’m feeling. And just kind of going off that.”
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Earlier this week, Caitlin Clark said Boston’s absence in the lineup left “big shoes to fill.”
“You got to fill it by committee. (Boston) does so much for us, she conducts the offense, she conducts the defense, she’s a heady player and she rebounds the ball really well,” Clark said on Sunday.
Is Aliyah Boston playing on Wednesday?
Boston wasn’t listed on the Fever’s latest injury report, meaning the three-time All-Star is expected to suit up for Indiana’s matchup against Portland on Wednesday.
What happened to Aliyah Boston?
Boston exited the Fever’s 104-102 overtime loss to the Washington Mystics on Friday in the second half. Boston was subbed out with 2:01 remaining in the third quarter and was ruled out the remainder of the game due to a lower leg injury. It’s not immediately clear when Boston suffered the injury and Fever coach Stephanie White did not have any updates for reporters after the game.
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On Tuesday, Boston said there wasn’t a particular moment or movement that led to her departure, but decided to cut her evening short out of precaution while managing the injury suffered during the Unrivaled regular season.
Boston has averaged 23 minutes per game through three games this season, down from last season’s 30.2-minute average. She’s also averaging 12 points and five rebounds per game.
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aliyah Boston injury update: Fever center ‘feeling great,’ practicing
