NaLyssa Smith Injury Threatens Aces’ Chances of Repeating as WNBA Champions
The Las Vegas Aces may not look like the dominant force they were in previous seasons, but betting against Becky Hammon, A’ja Wilson, and Chelsea Gray is never wise. As long as that core with Jackie Young is intact, the Aces should be considered championship contenders.
They didn’t look like a contender last season. Then, they ended the regular season on a crazy run and went on to win it all. One of many reasons for that turnaround was the mid-season acquisition of NaLyssa Smith in a trade with the Dallas Wings. Smith turned out to be a great fit next to Wilson.
She looked even better in her first full season with the Aces, but her run was unexpectedly cut short by a knee injury. Smith will be out for the rest of the season, making the Aces’ path toward repeating significantly more difficult.
Aces forward NaLyssa Smith will miss the remainder of the 2026 season after suffering a non-contact leg injury on Sunday, the Aces announce. The exact injury and whether surgery is required were not released.
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) August 27, 2026
Unless one of Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, Brianna Turner, or Justine Pissott can fill the void or Wilson can be even better, this season may end with an uncharacteristically early playoff exit for the Aces. Wilson already does so much for the Aces on both ends of the floor that asking her to do even more sounds almost impossible. However, Parker-Tyus, Turner, and Pissott haven’t exactly been consistently reliable presences off the Aces’ bench so far this season.
Moreover, the playoff picture is incredibly strong this year. The Minnesota Lynx may look most ready to dethrone the Aces, but you can’t count out the Indiana Fever, Golden State Valkyries, and Atlanta Dream either.
NaLyssa Smith played very well this season
NaLyssa Smith entered the WNBA as the second overall pick in 2022. Once the Indiana Fever landed Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark with back-to-back number-one picks, Smith became the odd one out between those two and Kelsey Mitchell. The Fever traded her to Dallas ahead of her fourth season, but that wasn’t a great fit either. Landing with the Aces was the best thing for Smith. She was finally surrounded by great veterans and given a role in which she could thrive.
Smith averaged 11.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game before her injury. Those numbers may not look like much compared to her first two seasons in Indiana, but she was playing her most complete season yet. She shot a career-high 63.8% from the field and averaged just 0.9 turnovers compared to 2.4 and 2.7 in her first two seasons and just over one in the other two seasons.
Moreover, Smith has taken notable strides as a defender and impacted winning like never before.
Losing her at this point in the season will require Becky Hammon to get creative. DeWanna Bonner would have been a nice addition at this point, but she signed with the Atlanta Dream instead. So, the Aces will have to work with who is already on the roster. Fortunately, they have the best player in the world, and that will always give them a shot in any playoff series.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.