Earlier, when the All-Unrivaled second team included Indiana Fever star and Caitlin Clark teammate Aliyah Boston, some fans were disappointed. That was because according to them, Boston deserved to be among the three players selected in the All-Unrivaled first team, which included Paige Bueckers, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray, a list that is hard to argue against.

However, Boston, who has undoubtedly had a splendid Unrivaled campaign of her own, has instead earned the Defensive Player of the Year award, per a post on X by ClutchPoints.

Anchoring the paint for a Phantom BC squad that hovered near the top of the standings all season, the 24-year-old was a menace in both ends of the court. In the 14 games Boston played, she averaged 20 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.2 blocks and a steal per game.

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This included a monstrous 33-point, 16-rebound performance against Vinyl on February 9, where she shot 14-of-22 from the floor. She tallied seven double-doubles over a 14-game stretch and hit the 20-point mark in six different contests.

Boston failed to reach double digits in points just once throughout the tournament, and Fever fans may have had a point when they wanted to see her in the first team instead. Defensively, she averaged 2.2 blocks per night and ranked third overall in total rebounding at 10.1 per game (including 8.2 defensive boards).

Of course, this form is a mere extension of the incredible WNBA campaign that she had. For the Indiana Fever, Boston went at 15 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, shooting at almost 54% from the field.

While Caitlin Clark had an early end to her season with the Fever due to multiple injuries, the Fever still managed to reach the WNBA semifinals with Boston and Kelsey Mitchell at the helm. The former’s Unrivaled run only makes the Fever look even more menacing for next season, when the sights undoubtedly will be set on the championship once again.