Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston underwent successful surgery on her right knee to repair her lateral meniscus, the team announced Thursday. Boston will begin her rehab process in Indianapolis with the Fever's medical team, but no timeline for her recovery was provided.
The 2027 WNBA season is seven months away, so you would expect that Boston will be ready for training camp next spring, but we'll have to wait for an official update from the Fever to be sure.
How did Boston injure her knee?
Boston initially suffered what was called a "right lower extremity injury" in late February while playing in Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 offseason league co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. Due to the injury, Boston missed the remainder of the Unrivaled season and was forced to withdraw from Team USA's squad for the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico in March.
"It wasn't like a specific play that happened, it was just like the feeling that I had," Boston said in March on an episode of her podcast with Candace Parker. "And honestly, I felt like I was 15 steps behind everything that was going on. Like I literally just felt like I was moving so slow."
How did the injury affect Boston during the 2026 WNBA season?
Boston was cleared for the start of the 2026 WNBA season with the Fever, but she got off to a slow start. On May 17, she missed the first game of her career when she was ruled out against the Seattle Storm.
"It's still early, and so there's no reason to really push anything. And we want to make sure that we are utilizing an abundance of caution," Fever coach Stephanie White said at the time, though she declined to go into specifics.
Boston would continue to deal with what the Fever called a "right lower leg" injury throughout the season. She was regularly listed on the injury report and ended up missing four games. The team never acknowledged that Boston had a meniscus injury, which was an open secret across the league.
"I definitely started the year with a lot of uncertainty. I think there were definitely some games where I was hindered a little bit, and then obviously we know I missed some games," Boston said during her exit interview earlier this month. "It definitely was a change for me because I'm somebody that just loves competing, loves to play and I never like to sit out. It definitely had its impact, but we made it through a full season, so we're grateful."
Though Boston was not as consistent as usual, she averaged a career-high 16.1 points, eight rebounds, three assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks en route to her fourth All-Star appearance in as many seasons. She raised her game in the playoffs, averaging 19.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block on 58.1% shooting as the Fever were eliminated by the Las Vegas Aces in the first round.
The WNBA has not yet announced the All-WNBA or All-Defensive Teams. Boston will likely receive votes for both, though she is not a lock to make either.
How will the injury affect Boston and the Fever in 2027?
Again, we don't know the specifics of Boston's surgery, and the team has not announced a timeline, but she will likely be ready for the start of the 2027 season. For comparison, Atlanta Dream center Brionna Jones underwent surgery in February after tearing her meniscus while playing overseas, and was back on the court by July.
Knee surgeries always generate some level of concern, but nothing at this juncture indicates that Boston will be a lesser player moving forward. If anything, fixing her knee should make her even better in 2027.
Boston signed an EPIC (Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract) extension last offseason that will keep her in Indianapolis through 2029 on a floating supermax deal that will be worth 20% of the salary cap. Due to the new revenue sharing model, Boston's exact salary won't be known until the 2027 salary cap is set.
While Boston and Caitlin Clark are under contract for next season -- Clark is also eligible to sign an EPIC extension this winter -- the Fever will have plenty of work to do in the offseason to build a true title contender around them. That will start with their efforts to convince star guard Kelsey Mitchell, an unrestricted free agent, to re-sign with the team.
