Twelve former South Carolina Gamecocks are currently on WNBA rosters in 2026, a testament to what Dawn Staley has built in Columbia. But two of them aren’t just participating in the league — they are running it. Aliyah Boston and A’ja Wilson sit atop the early WNBA All-Star fan voting returns, and the numbers behind those rankings tell a story about two players operating at the absolute peak of their powers.
The Voting Landscape
The WNBA released its early All-Star voting returns on Wednesday ahead of the All-Star weekend scheduled for July 25 in Chicago, with fan votes accounting for 50% of the selection process. Boston checked in at No. 1 overall, with Wilson close behind at No. 3. That two former Gamecocks occupy the top tier of early returns is striking, but it isn’t surprising given what both players have been doing through the first month-plus of the season.
Voting closes Saturday, June 27, giving fans a narrow remaining window to weigh in.
Aliyah Boston: A Career-Best Ascent
Through 16 games, Boston is putting together the best statistical season of her professional career. She is averaging 16.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game for the Indiana Fever, who sit at 10-7 and third in the Eastern Conference behind the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty.
The numbers represent a meaningful jump from the player who entered the league as a polished but still-developing scoring option. What Boston is doing in 2026 reflects a player who has fully arrived — not just as a complementary piece, but as a franchise cornerstone. Her combination of interior scoring, rebounding presence, and playmaking puts her among the most complete forwards in the league right now, and the All-Star voting reflects that reality.
A’ja Wilson: Rewriting the Record Book
If Boston is having a career year, Wilson is doing something that transcends individual seasons. She is averaging 25.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game for the Las Vegas Aces, who are 12-5 and sitting in second place in the Western Conference behind the Minnesota Lynx.
The headline moment came when Wilson dropped 45 points against the Connecticut Sun — her fifth career 40-point game, a new WNBA record. That kind of historical benchmark doesn’t arrive by accident. It is the product of a player operating with a combination of skill, conditioning, and competitive drive that the league simply hasn’t seen before at this sustained level. As the reigning league MVP, Wilson isn’t resting on her résumé. She is building a case that she may be the greatest player the WNBA has ever produced.
The Contract Context: Redefining Market Value
What makes the Boston-Wilson narrative even more compelling is what happened off the court in April. Wilson became the highest-paid player in WNBA history when she signed a three-year, $5 million super max deal with Las Vegas. Days later, Boston eclipsed even that benchmark, securing a four-year, $6.3 million extension with Indiana.
Two former South Carolina teammates, within days of each other, setting and then immediately resetting the ceiling for women’s professional basketball compensation. It is a remarkable sequence — and it reflects both the growing economic momentum of the WNBA and the specific market value that Boston and Wilson have built through their on-court performance.
Their performance in 2026 is validating every dollar of both contracts in real time.
The Broader Significance
The fact that South Carolina produces players who lead the league in fan voting, command the sport’s highest contracts, and shatter statistical records is not incidental. It is the direct output of a program that has consistently developed players for professional excellence, not just collegiate success.
Boston and Wilson are the most visible proof points of that pipeline right now. With All-Star Weekend approaching and voting closing Saturday, both players have the numbers, the recognition, and the momentum to be exactly where the early returns say they are — at the very top of the sport.
