As players declare for the WNBA draft, questions about the status of star player and projected No. 1 overall pick Aliyah Boston remain.

And the South Carolina senior is not helping to quell them.

When asked if Monday’s Elite Eight win in Greenville would be her last in the state of South Carolina, Boston just smiled at the camera and then walked away.

“Is this your last game in the state of South Carolina?”

Aliyah Boston: @TheNextHoops #NCAAW #SECWBB #MarchMadness @GamecockWBB (videography is obvi not my passion) pic.twitter.com/X6hl5eJtKY

— Gabriella Lewis (she/her) (@_gabriellalewis) March 28, 2023

If Boston chooses to postpone her WNBA career, she could become the face of a trend in women’s basketball as players opt to use the extra year of eligibility granted to them by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of this season’s juniors and seniors would have the option to use that extra year.

Tennessee senior Tamari Key laid out why players might want to stay for another year, as she and her teammate Rickea Jackson both opted to return for another season with the Lady Vols.

The NCAA’s new name, image and likeness policy is one of those reasons. NIL deals have changed the game for a lot of players, as they can make money while still in school.

“You don’t really have to do anything (in college) except hoop, go to school and make money,” Boston sad. “In the real world, all of the sudden everything is coming at you, so I think it plays a major decision.”

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley thinks Boston should go to the league, she told the Greenville (S.C.) News in January.

“I do think Aliyah Boston should go. I do,” she said. “I think she’s ready to take on more of one-on-one play rather than the junk defenses.”

On Tuesday, Staley said that she has met with all of South Carolina’s seniors and that she’s “planning on not having them” next season.

“Regardless if we have some come back, or all of them leave, or all of them stay, we’re still in a position where we must continue to recruit, just in case,” she said. “But I think all of our seniors have put themselves in a position to be drafted.”

There is, of course, the WNBA’s perpetual problem of limited roster spots. Currently, there are 144 available spots across 12 teams, which doesn’t leave a lot of room for rookies. 

“I know there aren’t a lot of roster spots this particular year in the WNBA,” Staley said. “We are constantly feeding them with information that will help them make that decision to go or to stay… And I’m not going to sway them. I’m not going to try to convince them to come back.”

Even current WNBA players have spoken up in favor of players staying with their schools for another year.

“If I was in college I would stay,” wrote Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud, who cited NIL and the limited roster spots as why college players should stay in school.

I don’t know what college kid needs to hear this. STAY YOUR ASS IN SCHOOL.

1. NIL changed the game.
2. 144 spots.

If I was in college I would stay🤷🏽‍♀️

— Natasha Cloud (@T_Cloud4) March 28, 2023

Chicago Sky guard Diamond DeShields echoed the sentiment, and even inquired if she still could use her extra year of eligibility.

“I would’ve stayed and used my 5th year under the current climate of college basketball,” she wrote.

To whom it may concern …. I would’ve stayed and used my 5th year under the current climate of women’s college basketball 😊 . Also , does anyone know if I can still use that 5th year?!? 😂😂😂 kidding….wait…idk😅

— Diamond DeShields (@diamonddoesit1) March 28, 2023

Ultimately, whether or not Boston remains in South Carolina is up to her. But regardless of her decision, she’ll always consider the state home. 

“South Carolina has been a home for four years, somewhere where I really grew up so it’s always going to be that second home to me,” she said Monday. “And it’s going to feel so good when I come back whenever it is, visit, see everybody, see the coaches. It’s going to be really nice.”

Wimbledon is leveling up, as the annual London-based Grand Slam announced Thursday that it's increasing its purse by 7% across the board in 2025, pushing the total prize money to £53.5 million ($72.59 million) ahead of tennis tournament's June 30th kick-off.

Both the 2025 women's and men's singles champions will earn winner's checks in the amount of £3 million ($4.07 million) — an 11.1% increase over the amount won by 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková.

With increases across all Slam events, from singles and doubles to wheelchair competitions, even athletes who stumble early will see a raise over last year's competition.

For example, singles players ousted in this year's first round will take home 10% more than in 2024, earning deposits of £66,000 ($89,530).

The 2025 total purse now doubles the prize money offered by the tournament a decade ago, and makes Wimbledon the biggest potential payday across all four of the sport's Grand Slams.

"We're immensely proud of the fact that, if you look back 10 years, you can see the increase over that period and 7% this year," said All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club chair Deborah Jevans. "And we have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players."

Teen swimmer Summer McIntosh made a major splash at the 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials, shattering three world records in just five days of competition in Victoria, BC.

First on Saturday, the Toronto swimmer shaved 1.2 seconds off the Australian Ariarne Titmus's 400-meter freestyle mark to set a new world record time of 3:54.18.

Then on Monday, McIntosh took down a decade-old record in the 200-meter individual medley (IM), becoming the first woman swimmer to complete the race in less than 2:06.00.

Just two days later, the 18-year-old McIntosh broke her own 400-meter IM world record, besting her 2024 Canadian Olympic Trials time by 0.73 seconds with a 4:23.65 race Wednesday.

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With her unstoppable week-long performance, McIntosh became the first swimmer to set three new world records in different individual events at one meet since US legend Michael Phelps's historic run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Going into tonight, I knew I could do something really special because this has probably been the best meet of my career," McIntosh told reporters after Wednesday's race.

That said, the young star is already eyeing new times — and new records.

"Overall, [I'm] happy with the time, but I know I can go faster," said McIntosh following her 400-meter IM performance. "The faster I swim, the happier I am."

The NWSL Championship is on its way back West, with the league announcing on Friday morning that the 2025 title match will kick off from PayPal Park in San Jose, California.

Hosted at the home pitch of 2024 expansion team Bay FC, the game will take place on Saturday, November 22nd.

In addition to the championship match, the 2025 NWSL season's final weekend will include a variety of supporting events like Fan Fest and the annual Skills Challenge competition.

"We're thrilled to bring the NWSL Championship back to the West Coast and to a region with as rich a history in women's soccer as the Bay Area," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a league statement.

Citing a long list of former USWNT stars with local ties, including Julie Foudy, Kelley O'Hara, and Alex Morgan, Bay FC co-founder Brandi Chastain — a US legend herself — called the Bay Area "the place women's soccer calls home."

"Our community's fabric is woven with the greatest the game has to offer," explained Chastain.

"This community's passion for the game, combined with the excitement surrounding one of our newest teams in Bay FC, makes it the perfect setting to celebrate the league's top talent and crown our next champion," said Berman.

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How to attend and watch the 2025 NWSL Championship

Like last year, the 2025 NWSL Championship will air in primetime, with CBS set to broadcast the match live at 8 PM ET on November 22nd.

Tickets to the game will be available for purchase beginning in August, though interested fans can sign up for presale access online now.

The NWSL and WNBA Players Associations teamed up to release a joint statement on Thursday, with the unions expressing their solidarity with "all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity" after the recent ICE raids and ensuing protests in Los Angeles.

The move comes after Angel City published their own social media post addressing the ICE raids last Saturday, with the Los Angeles NWSL club noting "We know that our city is stronger because of its diversity and the people and families who shape it, love it, and call it home."

ACFC also directed immigrants in need of assistance in the wake of the ICE raids to two community organizations: the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights and the LA County Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Calling the WNBA Players Association "leaders in this space," NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke told The Athletic that the basketball union initiated their joint statement.

"It's important to stand together as workers' unions," she noted.

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NWSL and WNBA unions speak to families impacted by ICE raids

"It's not lost on us that this country and the world are in turmoil right now," wrote the NWSLPA and WNBPA. "Across the country, families are facing fear, hardship, and uncertainty tied to immigration."

The athlete unions then crystallized their position, saying, "We stand with all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity, no matter where they come from or where they hope to go."

"Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," they continued. "We know not every situation is simple. But offering compassion should never be up for debate."