NaLyssa Smith

NaLyssa Smith

File:NaLyssa Smith.jpg Smith with Baylor in 2021
No. 1 – Indiana Fever
Position	Power forward
League	WNBA
Personal information
Born	(2000-08-08) August 8, 2000 San Antonio, Texas
Nationality	American
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 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
Selected by the Indiana Fever
Career history
2022–present	Indiana Fever
Career highlights and awards
NCAA champion (2019) Wade Trophy (2021) Katrina McClain Award (2021) First-team All-American – AP, WBCA, ESPN (2021) Second-team All-American – USBWA (2021) Big 12 Player of the Year (2021) 2× First-team All-Big 12 (2020, 2021) McDonald's All-American (2018)
Medals Women's basketball Representing United States FIBA Americas U18 Championship 2018 Mexico City Team

NaLyssa Smith (born August 8, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever 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. She was drafted second overall by the Fever in the 2022 WNBA draft.

Early life and high school career

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.

College career

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. 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 against Notre Dame.

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. She also led the Lady Bears in double-doubles with 11.

Junior year

Smith continued to improve, averaging a near double-double and winning Big 12 Player of the Year.

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.

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.

Professional career

On April 11, 2022, Smith was drafted second overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2022 WNBA draft.

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 set 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.

Career statistics

Legend
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 high		League leader

Personal life

Smith is the daughter of Rodney and Nikki Smith. Rodney was a basketball player at UTSA and her brother Rodney Jr. played soccer at the University of Saint Mary.

External links

• Baylor Lady Bears profile
• USA Basketball profile

Indiana Fever roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs C 11 Achonwa, Natalie 6' 4" (1.93m) 183 lb (83kg) 11-22-1992 Notre Dame 1 F 24 Catchings, Tamika 6' 1" (1.85m) 167 lb (76kg) 07-21-1979 Tennessee 14 G/F 25 Coleman, Marissa 6' 1" (1.85m) 160 lb (73kg) 01-04-1987 Maryland 7 G 20 January, Briann 5' 8" (1.73m) 144 lb (65kg) 01-11-1987 Arizona State 7 G 42 Johnson, Shenise 5' 11" (1.8m) 172 lb (78kg) 12-09-1990 Miami (FL) 4 F 12 Kizer, Lynetta 6' 4" (1.93m) 230 lb (104kg) 04-04-1990 Maryland 4 F 2 Larkins, Erlana 6' 1" (1.85m) 205 lb (93kg) 04-02-1986 North Carolina 6 G 33 Lucas, Maggie 5' 10" (1.78m) 152 lb (69kg) 11-29-1991 Penn State 2 G 3 Mitchell, Tiffany 5' 9" (1.75m) 152 lb (69kg) 09-23-1984 South Carolina R G 30 Moseley, Brene 5' 7" (1.7m) 120 lb (54kg) 11-25-1993 Maryland R F 14 Peters, Devereaux 6' 2" (1.88m) 174 lb (79kg) 10-08-1989 Notre Dame 4 G 17 Wheeler, Erica 5' 7" (1.7m) 143 lb (65kg) 05-02-1991 Rutgers 1 East: ATL • CHI • CON • IND • NY • WAS | West: DAL • LA • MIN • PHO • SA • SEA	Head coach Stephanie White (Purdue) Assistant coaches Steven Key (Boston University) Gary Kloppenburg (UC San Diego) Athletic trainer Todd Champlin (Daemen) Strength and conditioning coach David Williams (Central Florida) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured WNBA roster page