Lynx star and Stanford alum Alanna Smith earns first ever WNBA award

2024 has been a breakout year in a lot of ways for Smith, and after a dominant regular season, she is finally able to add a WNBA accolade to her basketball resume.

Sep 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith (8) dribbles as Connecticut Sun forward Brionna Jones (42) defends during the second half of game one of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

2024 continues to be the year of Alanna Smith. Highlighted by a strong Olympics campaign in which she helped the Australia Opals win their first Olympic medal in over a decade, she has also had a career year in the WNBA, one that was recognized with her winning her first career award, a selection to the WNBA All-Defensive Team.

Signing with the Minnesota Lynx prior to the start of the season, Smith has enjoyed her best season since becoming a WNBA player in 2019, finishing the regular season with averages of 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals per game while guiding the Lynx to the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Making the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team, she was selected alongside Alyssa Thomas, Nneka Ogwumike, Jonquel Jones and Natasha Cloud. 

Starting her career as a reserve with the Phoenix Mercury and the Indiana Fever, Smith’s first taste of being a starter came in 2023 when she signed with the Chicago Sky, starting 35 out of the team’s 38 games and becoming a reliable piece to the starting five. Highly sought after in free agency, she ultimately landed in Minnesota on a two-year deal. This season she has played and started in a career high number of games and has been able to become one of the league’s best players.

A punishing defender in college for Stanford, Smith helped the Cardinal make deep runs in the NCAA tournament every single season that she was there with the worst result during her four-year tenure being a Sweet Sixteen elimination at the hands of Louisville in 2017-18. Averaging 19.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in her senior season, Smith was drafted No. 8 overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft.

Advancing to the second round of the playoffs with an eye towards helping the Lynx win their fifth title in franchise history, Smith has a chance to have a truly memorable year.