Fever's NaLyssa Smith Involved in Shoving Exchange During Basketball Game in China
Despite the emergence of the new Unrivaled women's basketball league (whose inaugural season kicks off in January and takes place in Miami), given the limited space of that 3x3 league, many high-level WNBA players still must play overseas during the league's offseason to earn extra money.
One of these players is Indiana Fever forward NaLyssa Smith. The 24-year-old former Baylor superstar and No. 2 overall pick of the 2022 WNBA Draft signed a contract to play for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in China this winter.
While Smith experienced an up-and-down season with Indiana this year, she could typically be counted on to bring intensity and physicality in the paint.
She also wasn't ever going to let herself get disrespected. And this mentality seems to have continued during her time in China.
Video clips of Smith's most recent game with Zhejiang Golden Bulls have surfaced on X Thursday. The Fever forward appeared to get shoved while jostling for rebounding position in the game. She then picked up the ball that was bouncing on the ground and tossed it at the legs of the player who shoved her.
That player then threw the ball at Smith's back while she was walking away. This prompted Smith to turn around, throw the ball back at the player, and look ready to throw hands with her before a referee intervened.
Smith was then pulled away by her teammates.
LMAO Nalyssa 😭😭 https://t.co/Ic9fBx6pvs pic.twitter.com/GnMocZFko9
— Revenge Tour Reese🐯 (@MVPREESE) November 7, 2024
Apparently, seven technical fouls were issued during the game, likely in large part due to the exchange.
Clearly Smith is content to keep standing on business against her opponents this winter.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.