Aliyah Boston Tears: A Painful Choice Between a Sick Mother and a WNBA Championship Dream?
Las Vegas, September 22, 2025 – In the middle of a heated WNBA semifinal, where all eyes are on you – and then, a phone call from home: your mother is struggling with illness. What will you do? Drop everything, rush to the hospital bed, or grit your teeth and stay on the field, where your teammates are calling for help amid the storm of injuries?
That is the heartbreaking pain of Aliyah Boston the explosive star of Indiana Fever, who burst into tears on the bench during the fierce battle with Las Vegas Aces. Her tears are not only personal pain, but also the scream of a warrior torn between blood ties and the mission to save the team that is seriously lacking in human resources. Social networks are abuzz with criticism: “She is selfish for her career!”, “Abandoning her mother to chase fame!” – but do they know that at this moment, Mitchell cannot leave, because the Fever is on the verge of collapse, and she is the last flame that lights up hope? Are tears the price to pay for glory, or just the tragedy of silent heroines?
The scene unfolded in the third quarter of Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals on Sunday night, as the Fever clung to a slim lead against the defending champions. Mitchell, the 29-year-old guard who’s led the league in three-pointers made this season with 111, had already dropped 18 points, her signature quick-release jumpers slicing through the Aces’ defense. But as the clock ticked down, she stepped off the court, phone in hand, her face crumpling under the arena lights. Reports from inside the locker room later confirmed the call: her mother, battling a sudden flare-up of a chronic condition back in Cincinnati, was in distress. “I just… I couldn’t breathe,” Mitchell would later whisper to reporters, her voice cracking. “She’s my rock. But my sisters here? They’re fighting for everything too.”
Indiana’s backcourt has been a war zone all season. Rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, the 2024 Rookie of the Year, has missed half the games with a persistent groin injury. Starters Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson are out for the year with season-ending ailments, leaving Mitchell as the lone reliable ball-handler. Coach Stephanie White, visibly moved in postgame comments, called it “the ultimate test of heart.” White herself teared up last week after Mitchell’s public praise following their first-round clincher against Atlanta – a gritty 87-85 road win that marked Indiana’s first playoff series victory since 2015. “Kelsey’s carrying us on her back,” White said. “And now this? It’s unfair, but she’s choosing us because she has to.”
The backlash hit fast on X and Instagram. Hashtags like #SelfishKelsey trended with over 200,000 posts by Monday morning, fans decrying her “Hollywood tears” as performative amid the Fever’s Cinderella run. “Prioritize family over a game,” one viral tweet read, racking up 50,000 likes. But insiders paint a different picture. Mitchell, drafted No. 2 overall in 2018 and now in her eighth season – all with Indiana – has poured her soul into this franchise. She’s the franchise’s all-time leading scorer in three-pointers, and this year, she became the first Fever player to average 20+ points per game, finishing third in the league at 21.2 PPG. Her All-WNBA First Team nod last week was no fluke; it’s the fruit of years in the shadows, including six losing seasons before the Clark-Boston era ignited the team.
Mitchell’s personal battles add layers to the heartbreak. Just last year, she mourned her father’s death, channeling grief into a breakout campaign that helped Indiana snag the No. 4 seed. “This league tests you in ways no one sees,” she wrote in a poignant Players’ Tribune essay. Now, with her mother – the woman who drove her to countless AAU practices – fighting from afar, Mitchell’s choice echoes the sacrifices of WNBA pioneers. Teammate Aliyah Boston, nursing her own ankle tweak, hugged her postgame: “We’re your family too, Kels.”
As Game 2 looms Thursday in Indy, the Fever trail 1-0 but refuse to fold. Mitchell vows to fly home immediately after, but for now, she’s suiting up – for the dream, for the sisterhood, for the mom who taught her resilience. Critics may rage, but in the unforgiving grind of pro ball, heroes don’t always get easy outs. Mitchell’s tears? They’re the ink on her legacy: raw, real, and unbreakable.
What do you think – glory or family first? Follow our live coverage for every twist in this emotional saga.
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