Boston protects her peace from all the ‘couch coaches’
Lexi Thompson will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2024 season, the LPGA Tour announced Tuesday.
Thompson, 29, is an 11-time LPGA Tour winner – including her lone major at the 2014 Chevron Championship. She also represented the United States in six Solheim Cups as well as two Olympic Games.
Per The Athletic, Thompson is expected to speak to the media at 2:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday prior to making her 18th consecutive U.S. Women’s Open appearance later in the week in Lancaster, Pa.
“On behalf of the LPGA, I want to thank Lexi for her incredible contributions to our Tour and to women’s golf,” LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said. “We wish her all the best in her next chapter, and we, along with the fans, look forward to watching her compete and celebrating her throughout the rest of the season.”
Thompson qualified for the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open at the age of 12, then the youngest ever to accomplish the feat. She turned professional at age 15 and – at 16 – became the youngest player to win an LPGA tournament by capturing the 2011 Navistar Classic. Both records since have been broken.
Thompson became the seventh woman to compete on the men’s PGA Tour when she participated in the 2023 Shriners Children’s Open. She missed the cut by two strokes, however.
Thompson currently is 54th in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, however she has missed each of her last three cuts.
“Lexi’s impact extends far beyond the golf course,” Marcoux Samaan said. “She embodies the spirit and dedication of our founders – always showing up and engaging intentionally to help further the growth and impact of the LPGA. She is beloved by fans, consistently seen signing autographs and interacting with them no matter the result that day. Lexi’s commitment to our partners has also been unparalleled; throughout her career, she has continually made time to engage with partners, their employees, and their clients, and truly has valued
Lexi Thompson hits a tee shot during the 2022 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
their tremendous support of women’s golf.
“This dedication was exemplified last year when she was honored with our Founders Award, given to an LPGA Member who best exemplifies the spirit, ideals, and values of the LPGA through her behavior and deeds, as voted on by her peers. Lexi’s remarkable career and the way she has conducted herself both on and off the course have inspired countless girls around the world to pursue their goals with passion and perseverance.”
World No. 1 Nelly Korda commented on Thompson’s impact on the LPGA Tour.
“She’s had such an amazing career,” Korda said. “I’ve gotten to be on the team with her a couple times representing our country. I think she does an amazing job for the Tour. She spends so much time going to each Pro-Am party. She really dedicated her time to growing the game. It’s sad to see that she’s obviously leaving and not going to be out here with us anymore, but she’s had an amazing career, and I wish her the best in this new chapter of her life.”
INDIANAPOLIS — Aliyah Boston isn’t interested in what ‘couch coaches’ have to say about her game.
Boston, the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year, struggled in some aspects to start her sophomore season. With the increased attention on the Indiana Fever, that’s led to a lot of hate from fans and others on social media.
But Boston doesn’t care what they have to say — they’re not a part of her coaching staff, teammates or inner circle that she leans on for support and advice. She didn’t want to see those comments, so she logged off of X (Twitter) and Instagram entirely last week.
“I have to protect my peace,” Boston said Friday night. “There’s just a lot of couch coaches and there’s a lot of people who have never stepped on the floor that just continue to tell you how you should be playing basketball and that you’re messing up whatever bets or whatever they have going on. Personally I’d rather not know, because, obviously, I did try to get those rebounds, I just didn’t. I just logged off. It’s been better for me. I’ve been able to really talk to God a lot, I’ve been in my Bible a lot more, and it’s been a blessing because I know He’s the reason for everything.
“No matter what, like all this has happened on social media, it’s because I’m going through a season, and I can’t wait to come out on the other side of that.”
Through seven games, Boston is averaging 10.1 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 42.9% from the field. Those numbers are down from last year’s marks of 14.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 57.8% shooting. And the Fever are 1-6.
Boston’s struggles to start the season could be attributed to multiple factors — she gained a lot of muscle in the offseason, and she may not have been used to playing with all of that extra muscle. The Fever’s scheduling also didn’t do her any favors. Her first four games came up against Connecticut’s DeWanna Bonner (2x) and New York’s reigning MVP
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Breanna Stewart (2x). Boston is good, but those players are two of the best in the league.
The expectations on Boston have always been high. She was the 2023 No. 1 pick, an All-Star starter and the unanimous Rookie of the Year. Many people expected her to pick up right where she left off.
But even for Boston, it’s a learning curve to integrate a new point guard in rookie Caitlin Clark and get the new offensive scheme.
“She’s trying to figure it out too and learn this new style that we’re playing with,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “Aliyah’s played against the best post players in the league the last few nights, they’re Olympians. She’s a second-year player. I think because she was Rookie of the Year, had a great year, we forget about that.”
Boston just needed time to settle in, and she found her groove Friday night. She was the second-leading scorer in Indiana’s win over Los Angeles, scoring 17 points and grabbing six rebounds in 29 minutes. She shot 8-of-14 (57%) from the field.
It was a confidence-building night for the young star, and it’s something she can build on for the rest of the season.
“She just needed a good win, and then also a good showing,” Sides said.