NaLyssa Smith had spent the season proving something to herself.
She had found consistency, efficiency and a role that fit alongside A’ja Wilson in the Las Vegas frontcourt. Then, in a moment, the season stopped when Smith suffered a season-ending left leg injury Aug. 23 against Toronto.
Smith had eight points, eight rebounds, three steals and a block before going down in the third quarter. Four days later, the Aces announced she would miss the remainder of the season.
On Monday, Smith spoke with reporters for the first time since the injury. She acknowledged how difficult the past month has been, but she also spoke with a sense of perspective about what comes next.
“It’s tough,” Smith said. “Of course, it’s tough on anybody. You never plan on having an injury. You always plan on just having a better year every single year.”
Still, Smith said she has been surrounded by support throughout the process.
“I’ve been surrounded by nothing but love and grace,” Smith said. “So, excited for the journey ahead.”
A season worth building on
The timing made the injury particularly difficult because Smith believed she was playing some of the best basketball of her career. The numbers support that assessment.
She started all 38 games she played and averaged 11.7 points and 6.4 rebounds. Smith also shot a career-best 63.8 percent from the field, becoming one of the Aces’ most efficient offensive players.
That represented a clear jump from 2025, when she averaged 7.6 points and 5.1 rebounds overall. After joining Las Vegas during that season, she averaged 8.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in 27 games.
Smith had become comfortable making an impact without needing the offense built around her. She finished around the basket, attacked the glass and took advantage when defenses shifted toward Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray.
When asked if she felt like she had found a groove before the injury, Smith did not hesitate.
“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Smith said. “I feel like this has probably been one of my best years so far.”
The abrupt ending was difficult, but Smith said the season still gave her something tangible to build from.
“It’s unfortunate that it came to an end so quick,” Smith said. “But now that I know I could do it, I could just build on it.”
That perspective may matter as much as any statistic from the season. The injury stopped the year, but it did not erase the progress Smith made before it happened.
Learning how to step away
Smith called this the first major injury of her career, which has forced her to adjust mentally as much as physically.
“In the beginning of it, I kind of just wanted to be to myself, learn how to regulate my emotions,” Smith said. “Being away from basketball for the first time, it’s not easy.”
She leaned on family and friends before gradually working her way back around the team. That process reached another point Sunday, when Smith attended her first Aces game since the injury during Las Vegas’ 98-77 win over Seattle.
The experience brought mixed emotions.
“My first time coming to a game was yesterday, so it was full of a lot of emotions, just not being able to play and just having to watch,” Smith said. “But it’s cool to just take a step back and take it all in sometimes.”
Her days now revolve around rehabilitation. Smith said the routine is simple and repetitive: “Just rehab, rehab, rehab.”
That work includes rebuilding muscle strength, pool sessions and walking. Physically, Smith said she feels “great right now,” although she did not provide a timetable for her return.
The distance from playing has also given her a different way to study basketball. Smith said she plans to use the time to learn from the coaching staff and better understand the game without having the ball in her hands.
“I think sometimes not having a ball in your hand, it just helps you grow mentally a lot,” Smith said.
The Aces stay close
Smith has not gone through the process alone.
Wilson made that clear immediately after the injury. She said afterward that “the emotions are what they’re going to be when you lose a sister to an injury,” and later said she “cried my eyes out” after watching the play.
That support has continued away from the court.
“A’ja has been the main person in my ear throughout this whole time,” Smith said. “Constantly texting me, constantly, ‘Come to the crib. You could do this. We can go eat. We could do that.’”
Smith said that presence has helped as she adjusts to watching instead of playing.
“I think it’s huge to just have somebody in my corner pulling for me, always making sure I’m good,” Smith said.
Aces coach Becky Hammon has also offered perspective from her own career. Smith said Hammon told her she went through a similar injury multiple times as a player and came out of those periods having grown in important ways.
“It’s exciting to hear different people’s stories and how they responded to it,” Smith said.
Smith has heard similar encouragement from players who returned from significant injuries. She said Brianna Turner reminded her that a major injury does not have to take away the athleticism and movement that define a player’s game.
Those conversations have helped shift Smith’s focus from what she lost to what she can build next.
A different kind of growth
Smith’s role with the Aces has changed for now.
She cannot provide the scoring, rebounding and interior presence that had become part of Las Vegas’ starting frontcourt. Instead, she is learning how to support a playoff team while processing her own first extended absence.
“It’s easy to support them,” Smith said. “They’re not hard to pull for, so it’s fun being around.”
The adjustment is still real. Smith acknowledged that being around teammates can feel different when they are preparing to play and she cannot join them, but she is also beginning to see value in stepping back.
“My mindset is kind of like, it’s just your turn to go through it,” Smith said. “Everybody goes through injuries. Everybody goes through hardships.”
For Smith, that has meant looking beyond basketball for some of the growth.
“I think it’s just my time to grow as a person, grow spiritually, grow relationship-wise,” Smith said. “Just a time for me to sit down and not worry about basketball.”
That perspective does not diminish what she accomplished before the injury. Smith entered the season wanting to show she could give Las Vegas more, and she believes she did exactly that.
“I think that’s what I did this year,” Smith said, “show the league I could bring something else to the table and just show the consistency aspect of it.”
The next stage looks different than she planned, but the foundation is already there. Smith will keep rehabbing, learning and gradually working her way back around the team.
The season ended early. The progress did not.
Up next
Las Vegas hosts Los Angeles on Tuesday, Sept. 22, for its final regular-season home game at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT on ESPN.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
