Although Caitlin Clark being shut down for the latter half of the 2025 WNBA season wasn’t a positive in anyway, there were some key developments for the Indiana Fever in the aftermath. Firstly, the team rallied behind first-year head coach Stephanie White, improbably reaching the playoff semifinals.
But perhaps more importantly, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston showed they can carry the team when Clark isn’t in the lineup. Boston, in particular, showed very strong development, which is a great sign for the former first overall pick’s future in the league. Now, the 24-year-old is hoping to form an unstoppable duo alongisde a healthy Clark. In 2026, they may have more opportunities than ever to develop their chemistry.
Following the 2026 WNBA regular season, the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup will take place in Berlin, Germany. If everything goes as expected, both Clark and Boston could very well be on the team together. Both players were part of the USA Basketball squad during their training camp in December.
Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston expected to be at 2026 FIBA World Cup
As Robin Lundberg of Sports Illustrated points out, Sue Bird recently praised both Boston and Clark on her podcast. Bird is the managing director of USA Basketball, so there’s a great chance Boston will be joining her Fever teammate for the World Cup.
Who really stands out to me is Aliyah Boston. Aliyah Boston looks great right now. She looked great in USA camp. She’s now really found her game… I thought [Clark] looked great, right? I mean, here’s a player that didn’t get to play this summer. All in, she didn’t get to play a lot of basketball, really, in the last year-plus. So for this to be the first day back, she looked great.
Clark and Boston’s 2026 could go as follows: a successful regular season with the Fever with a playoff berth, a potential World Cup trophy with USA Basketball, then a run in the WNBA Playoffs. In order to pull all of that off, they will be spending a lot of time together on and off the court.