Aliyah Boston has always been grateful for her historic $6.3 million contract extension with the Indiana Fever.

She made that clear when the deal was announced in April. And months later, during the Fever’s first-ever trip to Toronto, Boston was still looking at the deal with the same gratitude.

“It’s a blessing. I never take it for granted. Shout-out to the organization for really offering that up as well. It’s just a great experience to be a part of that, to sign that EPIC deal,” Boston said, per Savanna Hamilton on X.

Then she pointed to one major change.

“I think right now, obviously, there are so many eyes, there’s so much attention,” she added, per the same post.

That attention is easy to understand. In April 2026, the Indiana Fever and Boston agreed to a restructured multi-year $6.3 million extension that runs through the 2029 season.

This made her the very first player in WNBA history to sign under the league's new EPIC (Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract) provision. And at that time, it became the richest total contract in WNBA history.

But the number is only one part of the story. Boston also reflected on how this contract does something much bigger.

"I think it's just going to be great for the young girls when they watch us and they see us sign these big contracts and they're like, 'Wow, I want to dream big. I want to continue to play. My goal is to get to the WNBA,'" Boston said during the same interview, per Savanna Hamilton on X.

For her, this money provides concrete proof to young girls everywhere that they can dream bigger and build a real and lucrative career in women's basketball.

"I think it's definitely more than us when you're looking to the future. It's for the young girls dreaming to do something great," Boston added.

How Aliyah Boston's contract changed financial mobility in the WNBA

Under the old rules, young players' WNBA rookie salaries had nothing to do with how amazing a player actually was on the floor.

For example, Caitlin Clark earned about $76,500 as a rookie in 2024, even while selling out stadiums and drawing millions of TV viewers across the world.

Four-time MVP A'ja Wilson made just $200,000 in 2024 while winning a championship with the Las Vegas Aces.

Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier spoke out about this huge gap with Glamour:

"We are being so grossly almost taken advantage of."

Everything changed when the new CBA was ratified in March 2026. The league's team salary cap rose from $1.5 million to $7 million in a single offseason.

Under these new rules, if a player makes an All-WNBA Team or wins the league MVP award within her first three years, she can rewrite the final year of her rookie contract into a huge, multi-year extension right away.

Boston earned this exact privilege by making the All-WNBA Second Team in 2025, which was her third year in the league.

More importantly, she sets a precedent for her teammate Caitlin Clark, who becomes extension-eligible under the same EPIC rule after the 2026 season.

Read more on Her Sports Nation.

Written by

Md Saife Fida

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi