NaLyssa Smith
American basketball player (born 2000) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NaLyssa Smith (born August 8, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for Baylor, winning the NCAA Division I Championship in 2019 and the Wade Trophy in 2021.[1] She was drafted second overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2022 WNBA draft.
Smith with the Indiana Fever in 2024 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 1 – Dallas Wings | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Power forward | ||||||||||||||
| League | WNBA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | August 8, 2000 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | East Central (San Antonio, Texas) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Baylor (2018–2022) | ||||||||||||||
| WNBA draft | 2022: 1st round, 2nd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Indiana Fever | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Indiana Fever | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Athletes Unlimited League | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Galatasaray | ||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Zhejiang Golden Bulls | ||||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Mist BC | ||||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Dallas Wings | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Stats at WNBA.com | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Early life
Smith grew up in San Antonio and played at East Central High School, averaging 23.4 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game as a senior. A five-star recruit and the no. 3 recruit by ESPN, Smith committed to playing college basketball at Baylor over schools such as South Carolina, Ohio State, and Louisville.[2][3]
College career
Summarize
Perspective
Freshman year
As a freshman, Smith came off the bench for the Lady Bears and provided steady minutes. Baylor coach, Kim Mulkey, praised Smith and said that she won many games for the Bears during their national championship season because opposing teams were too focused on the team's star players, Lauren Cox and Kalani Brown.[4] In the national championship game, she came off the bench to replace an injured Cox and put up eight points and four rebounds to help Baylor win the title over Notre Dame.[5]
Sophomore year
Smith was promoted into the starting lineup in her sophomore year and improved on her production, averaging 14.3 points and 8 rebounds en route to earning first-team All-Big 12 honors. She also led the Lady Bears in double-doubles with a total of 11.[6]
Junior year
Smith continued to improve, averaging a near double-double and winning Big 12 Player of the Year.[7]
In the NCAA tournament, Smith scored 24 points in the Lady Bears' Sweet Sixteen match against Michigan and tied a tournament record for most field goals made without a miss with 11.[8]
Smith's stellar season garnered her a number of awards, such as the Wade Trophy, the Katrina McClain Award, and All-American honors from the Associated Press, Women's Basketball Coaches Association, and the United States Basketball Writers Association.[9]
Professional career
WNBA
Indiana Fever (2022–2024)
On April 11, 2022, Smith was drafted second overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2022 WNBA draft,[10] and would go on to be selected to the WNBA All-Rookie Team alongside then teammate, Queen Egbo.
Dallas Wings (2025–present)
On January 31, 2025, sports journalist Kendra Andrews reported that Smith and the 8th pick in the 2025 WNBA draft would be traded to the Dallas Wings in a three-way team deal that would send Sophie Cunningham and the 2025 19th overall pick from the Phoenix Mercury to the Fever.[11] The deal was finalized on February 2, 2025 and was officially part of a larger four-team trade.[12]
Overseas
Galatasaray
On August 30, 2023, she signed with Galatasaray of the Turkish Women's Basketball Super League (TKBL).[13]
Zhejiang
Smith signed with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association for the 2024–2025 season.[14] She was released by the team after suffering an ankle injury.[15]
Unrivaled
Mist BC (2025–present)
In January, Mist BC signed Smith to a relief player contract due to DiJonai Carrington and Jewell Loyd being unavailable for their January 24 game versus Phantom BC.[16]
National team career
Smith was a member of the United States women's national under-18 basketball team at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, helping them win the gold medal in Mexico City.
She was selected to represent the United States women's national under-19 basketball team at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup, but withdrew due to injury concerns.[17]
Career statistics
Summarize
Perspective
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| * | Denotes season(s) in which Smith won an NCAA Championship |
WNBA
Regular season
Stats current through end of 2024 regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Indiana | 32 | 32 | 30.7 | .419 | .381 | .618 | 7.9 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 13.5 |
| 2023 | Indiana | 31 | 28 | 28.5 | .477 | .284 | .677 | 9.2 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 2.7 | 15.5 |
| 2024 | Indiana | 40° | 37 | 24.8 | .480 | .292 | .567 | 7.1 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 10.6 |
| Career | 3 years, 1 team | 103 | 97 | 27.8 | .458 | .330 | .620 | 8.0 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 13.0 |
Playoffs
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19* | Baylor | 38 | 1 | 15.3 | .543 | .111 | .681 | 5.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 8.4 |
| 2019–20 | Baylor | 28 | 27 | 24.1 | .586 | .000 | .746 | 8.0 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 14.3 |
| 2020–21 | Baylor | 31 | 31 | 30.5 | .561 | .214 | .792 | 8.9 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 18.0 |
| 2021–22 | Baylor | 35 | 35 | 32.9 | .550 | .237 | .795 | 11.5 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 22.1 |
| Career | 132 | 94 | 25.4 | .558 | .200 | .768 | 8.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 15.5 | |
Personal life
Smith is the daughter of Rodney and Nikki Smith. She is in a relationship with her Dallas Wings teammate DiJonai Carrington. Her father played basketball at UTSA, and her brother, Rodney Jr., played soccer at the University of Saint Mary.[19]
References
External links
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