Aliyah Boston Took Less in Record Deal to Help Fever Build Championship Roster
The WNBA agreeing to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement was a massive win for every one of the league's players, as it enabled these world-class athletes to finally receive salaries that are closer to what they actually deserve.
While CBA negotiations were underway throughout the winter, it was unclear how the players who were currently on their rookie contract (such as Indiana Fever stars Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston) would be impacted. Of course, they'd be cashing in when their current contracts concluded, but it wasn't known whether their current contracts would change in the wake of a new CBA.
The CBA was ratified last month, and the current rookie contracts were indeed changed so that the players received multiple times more money than they had before. The biggest beneficiary was Aliyah Boston, as she became eligible for what was called "EPIC" (Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract) provision.
This provision made Boston eligible to make $1.19 million during the 2026 season. However, the Fever took this a step further, which was announced on April 17.
Indiana Fever Make Aliyah Boston 'Richest' WNBA Player With New Contract
ESPN basketball insider Shams Charania made an X post on Friday afternoon that read, "Indiana Fever three-time WNBA All-Star Aliyah Boston is signing a four-year, $6.3 million contract extension with the franchise, giving her the richest total salary in league history to date, Zack Miller of WME Basketball tells me, @alexaphilippou and @kendra__andrews. Boston will make $1M in the upcoming season and 20% of the cap from 2027-29."
Indiana Fever three-time WNBA All-Star Aliyah Boston is signing a four-year, $6.3 million contract extension with the franchise, giving her the richest total salary in league history to date, Zack Miller of WME Basketball tells me, @alexaphilippou and @kendra__andrews. Boston… pic.twitter.com/k5GoeI7qJv
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 17, 2026
ESPN's Kendra Andrews conveyed with an X post after this announcement to say that Boston chose to take less money than the $1.19 million that she was eligible for in order to help the Fever make more roster additions.
Boston will be making $1 million this season and secure 20% of the Fever's cap through the 2029 campaign, according to another X post from Andrews.
Still, the fact that she was willing to structure the contract to help the Fever add quality players to their roster speaks volumes about her desire and commitment to turning this into a championship-caliber team. It remains to be seen whether her efforts will result in a deep run from the Fever this season, but having Boston locked down certainly bodes well for their long-term success.
Given that the Fever are surely going to offer Caitlin Clark a similar deal when she's eligible next offseason, Indiana fans have got to be feeling good.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the Indiana Fever and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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