Fever's Aliyah Boston, WNBA great Candace Parker start 'Post Moves' podcast to 'let people in'

Indianapolis Star

3 days ago

INDIANAPOLIS – Aliyah Boston and Candace Parker want their new podcast to be more than just about basketball.
Sure, that's what they're known for. Parker, the 2008 No. 1 pick, is the only player to have won Rookie of the Year and WNBA MVP in the same season. She spent 16 years in the league, winning championships with three franchises (Los Angeles, Chicago and Las Vegas), and she is getting her jersey retired by two of those franchises this year.
Boston, the 2023 No. 1 pick, was the unanimous Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in each of her three seasons so far. She is on a trajectory to have a Hall of Fame-type career, improving each season.
But they're more than what they can accomplish on the court. They're people with pets, families and other interests outside of their work.
And that's what they want to show on "Post Moves", which releases its first episode July 30.
'I think it just pulls people in a little bit closer, to see us as people as not just as athletes and what we do on a nightly basis,' Boston said following a live taping of a preview episode during WNBA All-Star weekend. 'I think sometimes people lose that focus, and it's just 'OK, well, they hoop and that's all they are as basketball players.' So to be able to use this to talk about different stuff and let people in, let them see who you are, your interests, what you really enjoy, I think that's important.'
The two knew each other in multiple circles: they're both signed to the same agency, and Parker is the president of Adidas women's basketball, the same shoe company Boston is signed to. The idea to have a podcast, following in the footsteps of current and former WNBA players, was intriguing for them to show glimpses into their daily lives.
Of course, they'll still talk a lot of basketball. But they'll also talk about how basketball has affected them outside of the game.
'I think the game is a vehicle that has allowed us to go different places,' Parker said. 'And so through those experiences, through the lens of basketball, I know (Boston), I've traveled, I've played in sold-out arenas and missed game-winning shots. I think these are all life lessons that we can apply that are outside of the sports, but because of the sport.'
In their preview episode, which they taped live in Indianapolis during All-Star weekend in front of friends, family and media, they embodied that kind of experience.
The live taping started with a disagreement between Parker and Boston: who was taller? The two stood back-to-back to the audience, which agreed Parker was taller. Parker yelled in excitement, walking around the stage in victory, as Boston, who was convinced she was taller, looked helplessly to the crowd.
Later in the live taping, Boston talked about some of her interests outside of basketball — more specifically, how devoted she is as a dog mom. She talked about wanting to get her dog, Ozzy, a car seat, so he is able to watch out the window when they drive.
Just sitting in the backseat isn't enough, Boston stressed, as he's not tall enough to look out the window on his own.
It's a look into the lives of two WNBA greats: Parker as a mother and retired player, who was in the WNBA in the era of commercial flights, and Boston, who is playing in an era when the league is seeing unprecedented growth.
They'll share stories about the WNBA of old, and the WNBA of new. That's the beauty, they said, of having two different generations of players together. Through Parker's 16-year-old daughter, too, they're able to see firsthand how players can impact the next generation.
'I think the generational thing of being an old head, being a young buck, the way that we see things may be different,' Parker said. 'But we are also going to be able to see similarities between that. Obviously, (Boston) is closer to my daughter's age than to mine, which is insane … and it's been really cool to see the impact that Aliyah's had on my daughter.'