NaLyssa Smith's Cryptic Post Fuels Speculation About Fever Future
The Indiana Fever had an extremely successful 2024 WNBA season.
Them making the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade showed that they struck gold when selecting former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft (although that was a foregone conclusion).
The Fever followed up this playoff appearance by hiring Stephanie White to be their head coach, which has received unanimous praise within the industry.
Now the Fever appear poised to be WNBA championship contenders in the coming years. However, before the 2025 season begins, Indiana has had to decide which players to protect in the upcoming Golden State Valkyries Expansion Draft, which takes place on Friday.
It's currently unknown which six players Indiana protected. While forward NaLyssa Smith seems like an obvious choice, some comments and social media posts she has made in the past make it unclear whether Smith still wants to be in Indiana.
And more fuel was added to this metaphorical fire on Monday, when Smith posted an Instagram story that wrote, "life is all about knowin yo worth , don't stay nowhere u not wanted n appreciated".
Her post pic.twitter.com/Br0rOQO301
— Kiayla (@CayZeeElle) December 2, 2024
It's impossible to say whether Smith is actually referencing her tenure with the Fever. However, given the upcoming Expansion Draft (and questions about whether she's happy in her role in Indiana), that is surely the direction speculation will head.
It will be fascinating to find out whether the Fever did indeed protect Smith; and if they didn't, whether the Valkyries will decide to bring her to their new franchise.
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.