Shakira Austin

Pairing last season’s No. 6 pick with two could-be Rookie of the Year winners in 2025 has left the Washington Mystics equipped with both game-changing young talent and frontcourt firepower, seemingly at every turn. In great irony, all it took was one late-game, coast-to-coast drive by Aliyah Boston to re-introduce another perhaps-forgotten ingredient among The District's good-as-it-gets young core. Beginning to rediscover her footing three games into her return, Shakira Austin matches the Indiana Fever’s All-Star center step-for-step, attaching herself to Boston’s shoulder like a sleeve before stretching out for a clutch swat. Capable of checking every box one might have for a frontcourt star when healthy, Austin put those tantalizing gifts on display once more on May 28, 2025, turning in a 13-points-in-15-minutes masterpiece, accompanied by three rebounds, two steals, and a block. Austin’s hustle went rewarded with a win, as Washington again offered the look of a contender, moving to 3-3 on the just-beginning season.