If there was one priority for the WNBA heading into the 2026 season, it was officiating. Last year, players and coaches constantly expressed their frustration with how physical games had become, prompting the league to crack down on unnecessary contact. However, that decision has resulted in more whistles and more foul calls than ever before. So, when Aliyah Boston sat down with Candace Parker and Leslie Jones to discuss officiating, the Indiana Fever star ended up sharing a story about the only game she has fouled out of this season.

But before Boston could fully share what was on her mind in the new episode of Post Moves, she had one important question.

“Can I get fined through a podcast?” she questioned.

And it was only after Parker assured her that she couldn’t, Boston finally shared her side of the story.

“I fouled out of the LA game, and I’m not going to make too much of a statement. But one person called four of them. That’s all I’m saying. Called four out of six,” Boston shared.

However, when she was asked about who that ref was, Boston played it safe and said, “I don’t even remember, man.”

The game Aliyah Boston was referring to came in Indiana’s second regular-season matchup of the year against the Los Angeles Sparks. She had six personal fouls that game.

But here’s the thing: while that game remains the only one in which she fouled out, foul trouble still has become a much bigger part of her game in 2026. Currently, Boston is averaging 3.7 fouls per game. And that’s where the larger officiating conversation comes into play.

After players and coaches repeatedly voiced concerns about the amount of physicality being allowed on the court, the WNBA responded by creating an officiating task force that included both players and coaches. Their sole goal was to crack down on physicality, as the league placed a greater emphasis on freedom of movement, preventing defenders from illegally impeding offensive players, and stricter enforcement of flagrant fouls.

But one month into the season, the results have been mixed.

To achieve their goals, the officials are calling more and more fouls, and due to that, teams were averaging more than 21 fouls per game by mid-May. This was just 17.5 last season. But constant fouls are not the only issue because games that once comfortably ended in around two hours have occasionally stretched much longer. There have even been games where officials called more than 50 fouls combined.

Now, while some players believe the league has reached a point where they are over-correcting, others argue officials still aren’t doing enough to protect players.

For instance, after Rickea Jackson suffered a season-ending injury against Minnesota last month, her teammate and the Chicago Sky veteran Natasha Cloud openly criticized the officiating.

“The officials’ ultimate job is to control and protect the players in this game,” Cloud said in May. “And I think that this group today failed to do so. I’ll be damned if we keep getting players hurt in this league, on any team, because we refuse to control the game.”

Coming back to Aliyah Boston, she said she finds it difficult to understand these fouls.

Aliyah Boston questions the officiating

Let us go back to Indiana’s matchup against the Golden State Valkyries. During that game, Boston found herself in foul trouble almost immediately as she picked up two offensive fouls within a span of 32 seconds.

Yet the most controversial moment came when she was called for an offensive foul after Laeticia Amihere hit the floor trying to sell the contact she and Boston made. While Stephanie White challenged that call and got it overturned to a blocking foul on Amihere.

“I think it’s super hard to try and figure out and understand how the refs are calling it,” she said after the game. “It’s super hard to get charge fouls when I don’t think anyone’s in a legal position. I mean, shout out to the Valks. They did a great job selling it, and the refs bought it, to be honest, so good for them.”

These moments perfectly capture the challenge the WNBA is currently facing. While the league wanted to reduce unnecessary physicality, players are still trying to understand where officials are drawing the line.