The Las Vegas Aces are officially without NaLyssa Smith for the rest of the 2026 season due to a leg injury, and they just brought in Kalani Brown to fill that massive hole. This is a huge hit for the Aces, who are sitting at the No. 3 seed in the WNBA playoff standings with a 27-13 record. Losing Smith, who was leading the entire WNBA with a staggering 63.8% field-goal percentage and averaging 11.7 points and 4.2 rebounds while starting all 38 games, is a major blow as they push towards the postseason.
A Season-Ending Blow And The New Face
Smith’s non-contact leg injury happened in their 88-78 win over the Toronto Tempo, and it is just brutal news for a team with championship aspirations. To replace that kind of production, the Aces signed 29-year-old center Kalani Brown. She played for the Phoenix Mercury last season, putting up 5.1 points and 4 rebounds in 29 games, shooting 62% from the floor. Brown is a big presence, standing at 6-foot-7, and she was a 2019 first-round pick out of Baylor, taken seventh overall by the Sparks. Her dad is NBA veteran P.J. Brown, so the game is definitely in her blood. Aces president and general manager Nikki Fargas sounds pumped, saying Brown brings an “extremely diverse defensive skillset,” a “great paint presence,” and is a “strong rebounder.” That’s high praise, and the Aces need her to live up to it.
Experience On Deck, But Time Is Short
Brown is no rookie. This is her sixth WNBA season, having played for the Los Angeles Sparks, Atlanta Dream, and Dallas Wings before her stint in Phoenix. She also has six years of international experience, balling out in China, Turkey, and Israel. We are talking about serious global hoops experience, including averaging 20.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in EuroCup competition. Those are some real numbers, and they show she can absolutely contribute. Brown is expected to work with Parker-Tyus and Brianna Turner to cover Smith’s minutes. This kind of veteran leadership and inside presence is exactly what a team needs when a starter goes down late in the season.
The Aces still have four regular-season games left, but here is the kicker: the WNBA is going on a two-week hiatus for the FIBA World Cup tournament in Berlin. Five Aces players are heading there, including stars like A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young for Team USA. This break gives Brown nearly three weeks to get acclimated, learn the system, and get her conditioning exactly where it needs to be. Her first game after the break? It is Sept. 17, when the Aces visit our very own Seattle Storm. Can Brown get up to speed fast enough to make an immediate impact against the Emerald City’s finest? That is the question, and the pressure is on.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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