Tag: NaLyssa Smith

NaLyssa Smith praised Caitlin Clark for helping the Fever play in front of sold-out crowds

“Shoutout Caitlin. We appreciate her for this.”

NaLyssa Smith greatly respects Caitlin Clark for helping to bring more fans to Fever games, and she recently thanked her for it.

The Washington Mystics moved its regular-season finale Thursday against the Indiana Fever to a larger area to accommodate fans. As a result, the game was the largest regular-season game in WNBA history.

When asked what it meant to play in front of a record-breaking crowd, NaLyssa shared her thoughts and credited her teammate. Here’s what Smith told the media postgame (See the clip below and the 15:37 mark of the YouTube video.):

“It’s huge…this is what we’ve been hoping for forever. So, it’s fun to play in front of these games…you never get used to it — just always showing up and playing in front of sold-out crowds, and I mean, shoutout Caitlin. Shoutout Caitlin. We appreciate her for this.”

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Caitlin Clark completed an absolutely perfect behind-the-back assist to NaLyssa Smith against the Wings

Caitlin Clark completed an unreal behind-the-back assist to NaLyssa Smith against the Wings.

Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark is becoming a master of completing behind-the-back passes, as was evident on this absurd assist to teammate NaLyssa Smith.

As the Fever erased a deficit on the Dallas Wings, Clark had the perfect focus as she found Smith near the basket with this outrageous behind-the-back assist.

Smith nailed the layup with ease, which gave the Fever two very needed points to keep the contest against the Wings as close as possible.

Clark hit a similar behind-the-back connection to Smith last week, showing that the duo is capable of some incredible things when they get in a rhythm.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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Caitlin Clark completed an amazing behind-the-back assist to NaLyssa Smith for the Fever

Caitlin Clark completed this unreal behind-the-back pass for an assist on Wednesday.

Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark continues to wow with her passing ability on Wednesday with this ridiculous assist to Fever teammate NaLyssa Smith.

Clark set up Smith for a fantastic layup by getting her an assist with a behind-the-back pass in transition.

We’ve seen Clark’s passing ability continue to improve as the Indiana season has gone on, and this might be one of her best assists yet.

While Indiana overall wasn’t having a great game against Washington, it’s encouraging for Indiana that Clark continues to facilitate offense at an elite level with passes like this.

She’s already one of the best in the WNBA at setting up her teammates for success.

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Angel Reese flawlessly cooking NaLyssa Smith led to so many memes

“Barbecue chicken alert. Barbecue chicken alert.”

Angel Reese and NaLyssa Smith jawing back and forth was one of the best parts of Sunday’s Fever-Sky rivalry game. It got even better after NaLyssa Smith told Angel Reese she was “too small,” and Angel proceeded to cook her up for the rest of the game.

The battle between Reese and Smith was must-see television. The two have history and have been trash-talking each other for years. That wouldn’t stop just because Angel is in the WNBA now. On Sunday, the language exchanged between the pair was so spectacular that a ref came over mid-game super concerned, and they hilariously waved her off.

But that wasn’t all that happened. At one point, NaLyssa hit Angel with a “too small” gesture after a big bucket. Reese responded with her own bucket on the other end and then went to WORK. She ended the night with 25 points, 16 rebounds and one fantastic “I’m a dawg” quote.”

Fans loved Angel having a field day against NaLyssa, and they responded with so many incredible memes:

After the game, Reese said she actually didn’t see Smith’s gesture and that there were no hard feelings.

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Angel Reese and NaLyssa Smith hilariously waved off a ref who was concerned about their trash talk

Just let Angel Reese handle her own business, OK?

The Indiana Fever and a bright Caitlin Clark had the Chicago Sky right where they wanted them. Then, in a dramatic turn of events, a cold-blooded Angel Reese stepped in, and the rest was history in an epic 88-87 comeback win.

Beyond Reese stuffing the stat sheet and making every critical play down the stretch, the rookie forward was clearly locked in as a heated competitor. I’m talking about the kind of competitive spirit that can and will turn a player into a permanent household name. When that spirit manifests during a growing Sky-Fever rivalry, its effect is amplified.

The best example was Reese trash-talking Indiana’s NaLyssa Smith in the late stages of Chicago’s win. Smith was the primary defender on Reese as she went off in the fourth quarter. When Reese seemingly started bragging to Smith, a concerned ref almost stepped in, wondering if they should’ve said or done anything to mediate.

Both Reese and Smith waved the ref off, essentially saying they were just having a conversation. Oh yeah, that’s the good stuff:

@espnw

Loving the competition‼️ #WNBA #AngelReese #IndianaFever #Basketball

♬ original sound – espnW

I, for one, cannot wait for the near future when Reese is one of the clear faces of the WNBA. Games and moments like this show why she’ll be a terrific ambassador for the league.

Featured image courtesy of ESPNW

Allisha Gray, Lexie Hull and CC Andrews earn honors at Athletes Unlimited Basketball

Athletes Unlimited Basketball wrapped Season 2 by awarding honors to the athletes.

Athletes Unlimited Basketball wrapped Season 2 by awarding honors to the athletes. NaLyssa Smith, Naz Hillmon and Odyssey Sims walked away with first through third place, respectively.

However, the awards didn’t stop there.

Allisha Gray took fourth in the league based on leaderboard points, Lexie Hull was named the Defensive Player of the Year and the 2023 Teammate of the Year Award presented by weThink was CC Andrews.

Gray is an Olympic gold medalist and currently plays for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA, in addition to playing in Athletes Unlimited. She played with her WNBA teammate Naz Hillmon for four weeks of the Athletes Unlimited season. Points are meted out for buckets and great play on the court then tallied into leaderboard totals throughout the season. With this scoring system, Gray had 5,748 total points and shot 91.8% from the free-throw line.

The Athletes Unlimited 2023 All-Defensive Team was voted upon by players and the facilitators of the league. The All-Defensive Team included Ty Young, Jordin Canada, Natasha Cloud, Gray and Hull.

Hull was then voted as the Defensive Player of the Year. She tied for first in steals with 29 on the season and added 97 rebounds. She was the No. 6 overall pick by Indiana Fever in the 2022 WNBA draft.

Andrews won the Sportsmanship Award in the inaugural season of Athletes Unlimited Basketball in 2022 and won the 2023 Teammate of the Year Award. The Teammate of the Year Award was voted on by the players and goes to an individual who exemplifies the most growth-minded awareness of the attributes of good character, integrity and grit.

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NaLyssa Smith crowned 2023 Athletes Unlimited basketball champion

Smith set Athletes Unlimited records left and right, including the points in a single game and the most rebounds in a season.

Athletes Unlimited is a new kind of sports league in which the athletes are the epicenter of all decisions. Within that frame of reference, the league crowns individual champions for the season.

At the end of Season 2 of Athletes Unlimited basketball, NaLyssa Smith was crowned the champion and earned the top spot on the athlete leaderboard. This was her first season in Athletes Unlimited, although she is not new to the professional basketball world.

Smith plays for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever and was the No. 2 pick in the 2022 WNBA draft.

Smith set Athletes Unlimited records for points in a single game (50), most rebounds in a season (184), most double-doubles in a season (12) and most leader-board points in a single game (863). She ranked second in free throws made (86) and points scored (363) and finished the season with 6,811 points on the leaderboard.

“Every team I was on, they were so supportive of me,” Smith said. “They helped me achieve every goal I wanted this year. … I’ve been in second in everything. … Just winning this, it means everything. It feels great. I’m enjoying this moment. I worked so hard for this. I put in so much.”

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Rosters set for Week 4 of Athletes Unlimited basketball

The four players from the previous week with the highest points accumulation are elected captains and draft their dream team.

Each week the new captains for the four Athletes Unlimited basketball teams redraft their teams. The four players with the most points in the previous week are named captains and draft their teams.

Week 4 games start on March 15 and the Week 4 draft was on March 12.

The Week 4 rosters are set with some players competing against their Week 3 teammates. You can follow along with the drafts each week via YouTube.

There are five rounds in the draft each week and a total of 40 roster spots up for grabs with four spots being held by the captains for a total of 44 roster spots in the league.

The basketball is exciting, unique and an opportunity for more players to play professional basketball domestically and not have to travel overseas to play. This is the second season for Athletes Unlimited, which is located in Dallas.

The season runs through March 25.

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WNBA Draft 2022: Top picks Rhyne Howard, NaLyssa Smith and Shakira Austin lead league’s next generation of stars

The top 3 picks in the 2022 WNBA Draft are ready for their moment.

Just over a week after the women’s college basketball season ended, the sport’s top players quickly transitioned from their universities and made their way to New York for Monday’s 2022 WNBA Draft.

At the top of the board, a few names fell exactly as they were projected. Atlanta, Indiana and Washington swung high with the top three picks of the draft and landed players that will immediately play a role in boosting these teams back to their winning ways while potentially changing their franchises in the years to come.

Here are your top three picks of the 2022 WNBA draft.

All odds via Tipico Sportsbook

The WNBA Draft’s No. 1 pick will go to Atlanta, not DC, following Wednesday trade

WNBA Draft’s No. 1 pick is being traded to the Atlanta Dream.

We have a trade to announce!

On Wednesday afternoon, the Washington Mystics sent the No. 1 pick in the 2022 WNBA draft to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for picks No. 3, 14 and a 2023 pick swap.

For the Dream, having the No. 1 spot will allow them to expedite their slight rebuild by having their pick of the litter when it comes to adding a high-end, potentially franchise-changing player who can also contribute immediately. The Mystics at No. 3 still get a premiere piece to add to an already talented roster that has retained many important pieces from their 2019 WNBA Championship team.

The women’s college basketball season officially concluded on Sunday when South Carolina defeated UConn in the national championship game. But other teams’ and players’ seasons ended weeks earlier, more specifically Rhyne Howard, NaLyssa Smith and Shakira Austin — the projected top three picks of the 2022 WNBA Draft.

With the sudden shake-up in the draft order, these ladies might have to begin reimagining which city they’ll next call home and the team they may soon represent.

The 2022 WNBA Draft will take place on Monday, April 11th at 7 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN.

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