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Fever's NaLyssa Smith Joins Unrivaled on Relief Player Contract

Unrivaled has added another Indiana Fever player with NaLyssa Smith joining Mist BC as an injury replacement.
Robin Lundberg|
Indiana Fever forward NaLyssa Smith (1) rushes up the court Friday, July 12, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Phoenix Mercury, 95-86.
Indiana Fever forward NaLyssa Smith (1) rushes up the court Friday, July 12, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Phoenix Mercury, 95-86. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Indiana Fever forward NaLyssa Smith has had an interesting WNBA offseason.

Smith spent some time playing overseas in China, where she even faced off with teammate Kelsey Mitchell on Christmas Day. However, Smith and the Zhejiang Golden Bulls recently parted ways and she made her way to Miami to spend time with her girlfriend DiJonai Carrington, who is taking part in Unrivaled.

Now Smith is actually replacing Carrington in a way, given the latter is unavailable to play for Mist BC Friday (Jewell Loyd is also out for the Mist). This led to the club needing to bring in another player in order to have an adequate roster available for its scheduled contest against Phantom BC. Enter Smith, who becomes the fourth member of the Fever to play in the new league joining Aliyah Boston, Lexie Hull, and Katie Lou Samuelson.

Unrivaled revealed how it would handle player injuries when Marina Mabrey suffered a calf strain, as the league has something called a "relief player contract" designated for injury replacements. Natisha Hiedeman stepped in in Mabrey's place for the Phantom squad.

It was announced Sabrina Ionescu will also be out for the Phantom tonight due to personal reasons. She is abroad attending the NBA Paris Games and other events, so both clubs will be shorthanded when it comes to their usual players. Therefore, Smith should have a chance to get ample run in her Unrivaled debut.

Smith has been the subject of much scrutiny from Indiana's fanbase, with many wondering how she fits in with the team's future. Perhaps a strong showing in Miami could bode well for her prospects under the new Fever regime helmed by Stephanie White going forward.

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Robin Lundberg
ROBIN LUNDBERG

Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!

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