Alanna Smith Bio
Alanna Simone Smith is an Australian professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for the Mist of Unrivaled. Standing 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), she plays as a center and power forward. She played four seasons of college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal before being selected eighth overall in the 2019 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury. Over her professional career, Smith has competed across the WNBA, Australia’s WNBL, leagues in South Korea, Poland, Turkey, and China, and the FIBA international stage with the Australian Opals.
Smith has represented Australia at multiple levels, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and earned a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. In 2025, she was named WNBA co-Defensive Player of the Year, sharing the honor with A’ja Wilson, and was selected to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team.
Early Life and Background
Alanna Simone Smith was born on 10 September 1996 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. She moved to Victoria at a young age and grew up in Melbourne, where she attended Wesley College. Wesley College is one of Australia’s most respected private schools, with a strong tradition in both academics and sport, and it provided Smith with a structured pathway into competitive basketball.
Smith’s early athletic development came through Australian youth basketball, where she represented the country at multiple age-group championships. Her international debut came at the 2011 FIBA Oceania Under-16 Championship in Canberra with the Sapphires. The following year, she represented Australia at the Under-17 World Championship in the Netherlands, where the team finished fifth. She then moved up to the Gems, playing at the 2014 FIBA Oceania Under-18 Championship in Fiji, and helped Australia win a bronze medal at the Under-19 World Championship in Russia, where she was also named to the All-Tournament Team.
Path to Basketball
Smith’s pathway to high-level basketball ran through Stanford University, one of the most storied programs in U.S. women’s college basketball. She played four seasons for the Stanford Cardinal from 2015 to 2019, developing her game as a versatile frontcourt player under head coach Tara VanDerveer. Her time at Stanford allowed her to refine the perimeter shooting and defensive versatility that have since become hallmarks of her professional career.
As a senior, Smith was named a Second-team All-American by the Associated Press, a Third-team All-American by the USBWA, and a WBCA Coaches’ All-American. She was also named the Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player and selected to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team. She earned All-Pac-12 honors in both 2018 and 2019, cementing her status as one of the top collegiate players in the country before declaring for the 2019 WNBA draft.
Alanna Smith Career
Early Career (2019–2021)
Smith was selected as the eighth overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft by the Phoenix Mercury. She joined a veteran roster that included Brittney Griner, DeWanna Bonner, and Diana Taurasi, and played under head coach Sandy Brondello, who also coached her with the Australian national team. In her rookie season, Smith averaged 7.4 minutes per game before an ankle injury requiring surgery ended her year early.
Her role expanded in her second season with the Mercury, as she averaged 15.6 minutes per game, but her playing time dropped again in her third year. After her rookie contract expired, the Mercury did not re-sign her. In February 2022, she signed a training camp contract with the Indiana Fever, made the opening day roster, but was released after playing just nine games. That same off-season, she joined the Townsville Flames in Australia’s NBL1, winning an NBL1 North championship and earning Finals MVP honors.
Chicago Sky Breakthrough (2023–2024)
Following a strong season in Poland with AZS AJP Gorzów Wielkopolski, where she was named league MVP, Smith received multiple WNBA offers before the 2023 season. She chose the Chicago Sky after head coach James Wade guaranteed her a roster spot. In her fifth WNBA season, Smith produced her most complete year, starting 35 games and averaging a career-high 26.5 minutes per game across every major statistical category. She received three votes for the 2023 WNBA Most Improved Player Award.
Minnesota Lynx Era (2024–2025)
On 1 February 2024, Smith signed with the Minnesota Lynx, encouraged by former Sky teammate Courtney Williams. In her first season in Minnesota, she was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team, her first WNBA award, and helped the Lynx reach the WNBA Finals. The Lynx also won the 2024 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. In Game 3 of the Finals, Smith played through a back injury and returned for Game 4.
In 2025, Smith was named WNBA co-Defensive Player of the Year alongside A’ja Wilson, the first time the award was shared. The league credited her with anchoring the top-ranked defense, posting a 97.5 defensive rating, finishing second in combined steals and blocks (135), third in blocks per game (1.9) and total blocks (80), and tied for tenth in total steals (55). She was also selected to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team. On 12 April 2026, she signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Wings.
Driving Style and Strengths
Smith is recognized as one of the WNBA’s premier defensive frontcourt players, combining length, lateral mobility, and shot-blocking instincts with the ability to guard multiple positions. Her skill set includes perimeter shooting, which stretches opposing defenses, and strong rebounding on both ends. Her performance metrics in 2025, including 80 blocks and 55 steals, reflect her two-way impact and her value as an anchor for any defensive system.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Smith’s signature achievements are her 2024 Olympic bronze medal with the Opals, a Finals appearance with the Lynx in her first year in Minnesota, and her 2025 WNBA co-Defensive Player of the Year award. Internationally, she was named to the FIBA All-Star Five of the 2024 Paris Olympics women’s basketball tournament after recording a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds in the bronze-medal game against Belgium.
Alanna Smith Career Wins
Across her professional career, Alanna Smith has accumulated team and individual accolades in the WNBA, Australia’s NBL1, the WNBL, and on the international stage. Her championship résumé includes the 2024 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup with the Minnesota Lynx, an NBL1 North title with the Townsville Flames in 2022, and an Unrivaled championship in 2026 with Mist BC.
WNBA Highlights
Smith’s WNBA honors include the 2025 WNBA co-Defensive Player of the Year award, a 2025 WNBA All-Defensive First Team selection, and a 2024 WNBA All-Defensive Second Team selection. She helped the Lynx win the 2024 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup and reach the WNBA Finals in 2024.
Other Wins and Performances
Overseas, Smith won an NBL1 North championship with the Townsville Flames in 2022 and was named NBL1 North Finals MVP. She was also named MVP of the Polish Basket Liga Kobiet after her 2022–2023 season with AZS AJP Gorzów Wielkopolski. In the 2019–2020 Women’s Korean Basketball League season, she earned All-Star honors with the Incheon S-Birds.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| WNBA | 1 (Commissioner’s Cup, 2024) | 1 (All-Defensive First Team, 2025) | 1 (All-Defensive Second Team, 2024) |
| NBL1 North | 1 (2022) | 1 (Finals MVP, 2022) | 0 |
| Polish Basket Liga Kobiet | 0 | 1 (League MVP, 2023) | 0 |
| Unrivaled | 1 (2026) | 0 | 0 |
Alanna Smith Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Alanna Smith’s immediate family is limited, and verified details about her parents and siblings are not widely available.
Personal Life
As of 2024, Smith was studying toward a master’s degree in psychology at Monash University in Melbourne, balancing her international basketball career with postgraduate education.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 WNBA season was the most decorated of Smith’s career, as she was named WNBA co-Defensive Player of the Year alongside A’ja Wilson. Anchoring the league’s top-ranked defense, she helped Minnesota post a 97.5 defensive rating while ranking second in combined steals and blocks (135), third in blocks per game (1.9) and total blocks (80), and tied for tenth in total steals (55). Her defensive impact earned her a WNBA All-Defensive First Team selection.
Smith’s two-way production reinforced her status as one of the elite frontcourt defenders in the WNBA, building on the foundation she established during her breakthrough 2023 campaign with the Chicago Sky and her 2024 All-Defensive Second Team season with the Lynx. Her continued growth as a rim protector and perimeter defender positioned her as a central figure in Minnesota’s defensive identity.
Following the 2025 season, Smith signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Wings on 12 April 2026, signaling the next chapter of her WNBA career. She was also drafted by Mist BC for the 2026 Unrivaled season, announced 5 November 2025, and helped Mist win the 2026 Unrivaled championship.
