Fever's NaLyssa Smith beams with pride as she cherishes girlfriend DiJonai Carrington's 1,000-point milestone

NaLyssa Smith and DiJonai Carrington have been supportive of each other’s basketball careers. Previously teammates in Baylor during their college days, the two have forged solid careers in the WNBA. Carrington entered the pro ranks first, joining the Connecticut Sun in 2021, before Smith went to the Indiana Fever the following year.

From teammates, Smith and Carrington have reportedly been in a relationship since last year. Although the two become rivals on the court, they are quite the opposite when the Fever and the Sun do not go head to head.

Leading into Sunday’s game against the LA Sparks, DiJonai Carrington was three points shy of reaching 1,000 points in her career. She ended the game with 19 points, five steals, one rebound and one assist to hit the milestone.

NaLyssa Smith went on Instagram to shower her girlfriend with praise:

“You ain even supposed to be here now look at tha kiddddd”

NaLyssa Smith's IG message to her girlfriend Dijonai Carrington on Instagram. [photo: @nalyssasmith/IG]

Indiana’s reliable frontcourt player, NaLyssa Smith, is a proven scorer, having compiled 1,292 points in just three seasons, compared to the Connecticut defensive ace.

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NaLyssa Smith and DiJonai Carrington are likely headed for a first-round playoff date

NaLyssa Smith and the surging Indiana Fever have a stranglehold on the sixth playoff spot. Indiana’s 104-100 overtime win against the Atlanta Dream on Sunday improved its record to 19-17. Behind the MVP-level play of Caitlin Clark, the Fever are 8-2 after the Olympic break, the best record in the league during that stretch.

With four games left to play, it looks like the Fever will cling to the sixth spot, earning the right to face the current No. 3 seed, the Connecticut Sun.

The Sun (25-10) and the Minnesota Lynx (26-9) are battling for the second spot in the rankings. If Minnesota holds off Connecticut, the Sun-Fever showdown will easily be the most anticipated first-round playoff series this year.

The highlight of that potential series will be Caitlin Clark against Connecticut’s tough defense led by Carrington and Alyssa Thomas. The former will try to stifle the All-Star rookie from the perimeter, while the latter will try to clog up the paint.

Another subheading that should excite fans is the face-off between DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith. As one of Clark’s best screeners, Smith will try to keep her girlfriend away from the Fever’s best scorer.