South Carolina's Aliyah Boston declines late invite to ESPYs after initially not being invited
Aliyah Boston is the reigning Naismith College Basketball and Defensive Player of the Year. The incoming senior was named the 2022 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, as she led South Carolina to a championship and has racked up countless awards and accolades during her three seasons with the Gamecocks.
Boston was recently nominated for an ESPY award in the Best College Athlete (women's sports) category but won't be in attendance for the show, which takes place on Wednesday night. After initially not being invited to the event -- leading to a social media firestorm -- the 20-year-old received a late invite but declined.
In a statement to The State (S.C.), ESPN explained the decision, saying the star center wasn't invited because the award for Best College Athlete (women's sports) wouldn't be televised during the live ESPYs broadcast. In 2021, Connecticut women's basketball star Paige Bueckers' speech was televised when she won the same award.
"We have the utmost respect for Aliyah Boston, Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks," ESPN told The State. "Due to both COVID restrictions and a new venue with much less seating capacity than previous shows, The 2022 ESPYs' prioritized athlete invitations to focus on specific awards that will be handed out during the broadcast."
The 2022 ESPYs will be hosted by Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and televised at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday on ESPN.
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