“Kobe Bryant was a greedy athlete”: When Dawn Staley compared Aliyah Boston with Lakers legen.

Dawn Staley coaching Aliyah Boston when she was still with the Gamecocks (image credit: IMAGN)

Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks are vying for a championship repeat this season. They’ve won two of the last three national titles, and much of the success can be attributed to Staley and a plethora of Gamecocks standouts, such as Aliyah Boston, who now plays for the Indiana Fever.

In April 2022, Staley was a guest on Power 105.1 FM’s “The Breakfast Club” show where she was still on a high following a national championship win. She talked about Boston and compared her to Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.

“She’s got that Kobe mentality,” Staley said (19:39). “Kobe was a greedy athlete. He wanted it all. Aliyah wants it all. She wants to etch her name.”

The WNBA legend then discussed Boston’s first interview, where she answered a question about the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson.

“The first interview she had when she came to South Carolina, and you get the comparisons to A’ja Wilson, she was like, ‘I don’t wanna be A’ja Wilson, I wanna be Aliyah Boston,'” Staley said (19:55). “I thought that was a strong statement (in) her first interview.”

Boston went on to have a stellar four-year college career in South Carolina. She made waves with a historic triple-double in her first game, which included 10 blocks. It was the first triple-double by a freshman in Gamecocks history and the first by anyone in their debut game.

Getting more reps in her third year, Boston led South Carolina to the program’s second national championship and won the Most Outstanding Player award.

After winning the 2023 Rookie of the Year and becoming an All-Star in the WNBA, Boston bolstered Staley’s claims that she wants it all to herself. She has already achieved a lot in just two seasons as a pro.

Aliyah Boston accomplished things that A’ja Wilson never did, Dawn Staley says
Dawn Staley and Aliyah Boston with the 2023 SEC Championship. Source: Jeff Blake, Imagn

Before Aliyah Boston became a standout in the WNBA, Dawn Staley already saw a lot of potential in her. A’ja Wilson, who is widely regarded as one of the best South Carolina players of all time, wasn’t at the same level as Boston in college, according to Staley.

“For her to do some things that A’ja Wilson wasn’t able to do, she got all of the Player of the Year (awards) every season,” Staley said (20:19). “She swept the whole thing. She’s built like that. I do think she’s a generational talent.”

With Wilson already established as a premier WNBA player, only time will tell if Boston will catch up as one of the league’s biggest stars.

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