Aliyah Boston Reacts to Season-Ending Injury News

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Aliyah Boston Reacts to Season-Ending Injury News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Jul 24, 2026 6:06 PM ET

Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston made sure to show her support for Sarah Ashlee Barker, who suffered a devastating injury during the Portland Fire's game against the Dallas Wings on Wednesday.

Early in the first quarter of the contest, Barker made a pass from under the basket to Frieda Buhner for a 3-pointer. However, right after delivering the assist, the second-year guard tumbled to the floor after appearing to hurt her left leg.

Video replay of the incident showed something snapping in Barker's leg. The Portland training staff and her teammates helped her off the floor, and she didn't return.

On Thursday, the Fire confirmed the unfortunate news: Barker suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season as a result. The 24-year-old is set to undergo surgery to address her injury.

Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

Barker, for her part, spoke out for the first time following her injury. In an Instagram post on Friday, she addressed her teammates to share the heartbreaking development. The ninth overall pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft also showed her appreciation for the Portland organization and the fans for supporting her.

"To my teammates, what I’d do to be out on the court with you all for the rest of the season. Thank you for the support you all have shown me. I genuinely do not have the words to express how much you each mean to me. There’s no one else I’d rather be out on that court with. Let’s keep proving people wrong. Next person up, that’s what we do, that’s what we’ve done all year," Barker wrote in her post.

Sure enough, her WNBA peers commented on the post to cheer her on, including Boston.

"Praying for you," Boston wrote. "God got you!"

Portland Fire Sarah Ashlee Barker went down assisting her teammate Frieda Buhner. Barker has a history of left knee problems and this was related to her left leg. pic.twitter.com/boJwCnRC79
— Global Utopia Sports (@GL8BAL_SPORTS) July 23, 2026

It's certainly a painful turn of events for Barker, who was having a breakout season with the Fire prior to her injury. Entering the contest against the Wings, she was averaging 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

Barker had also started 15 consecutive games for Portland, establishing herself as a key member of the team after getting limited playing time with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2024.

While Barker is now facing a long road to recovery, her fellow WNBA players, including Boston, remain supportive of her.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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