Aug 31, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Indiana Fever forwards Natasha Howard (6) and Aliyah Boston (7) stand on the court during the third quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Aliyah Boston Admits 'Annoying' A'ja Wilson Defense Effort Amid Fever Win vs Aces

Originally posted on Indiana Fever on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Sep 21, 2025 6:26 PM ET

The Indiana Fever cruised to a road victory against the Las Vegas Aces on September 21, thus earning them a 1-0 lead in their WNBA Semifinals series heading into their next contest on Tuesday.

When speaking with the media on September 20, Fever head coach Stephanie White was clear about how important it would be to keep 2025 WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson contained in this series if Indiana were to secure an upset.

"I mean, look, she's just special," White said of Wilson, per a video from the Fever's YouTube account. "There's just no other way to put it. She's convicted, she works her tail off, she understands what it takes... She's one of the best players in the world, and there's a reason. And she brings a tremendous challenge night in and night out."

She then added, "Look, you just have to try to make things difficult [for Wilson]. Great players are gonna find ways to do what they do. You just have to try to make it as challenging as you possibly can. Make them earn it. Nothing easy, don't bail them out, make her earn it. And then when they do, you live with it."

Indiana's defensive effort against Wilson hinged on star center Aliyah Boston, who was the main person guarding her. And Boston got the best of Wilson on Sunday, as Boston held her to 16 points (Wilson averaged 23.4 points per game during the regular season) on 6 of 22 shooting from the field.

As for Boston, she only scored 6 points in the contest, but also added 11 rebounds and 5 assists.

Boston spoke with the ESPN broadcast after the first quarter ended and was asked about the task of playing defense against Wilson.

"Honestly, just trying to kind of be annoying a little bit, because A'ja is a pretty great player," Boston responded, per an X post from SportsCenter. "So for me, just trying to make sure my presence is felt."

"Honestly just trying to kind of be annoying a little bit."

Aliyah Boston kept it real on Indiana's defensive strategy for the MVP A'ja Wilson pic.twitter.com/owtFyVjVJr
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 21, 2025

Boston's response has since gone viral, as the above X post already has over 155,000 views in less than three hours. Fans are appreciating Boston's honesty in the response, as well as noting that she did a great job of remaining annoying and ensuring that her presence is felt against the four-time league MVP.

While there's still a lot of basketball to be played in this series, Sunday was a great start for Indiana, who will look to continue its momentum when facing the Aces once again on Tuesday.

This article first appeared on Indiana Fever on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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