Fever's NaLyssa Smith fires back at fan claiming relationship with DiJonai Carrington hurting her performance

Indiana Fever forward NaLyssa Smith fired back at a fan who claimed that her relationship with her girlfriend, Connecticut Sun star DiJonai Carrington, has hurt her performance in the league. Smith took to X, formerly Twitter, to respond to the fan, highlighting that she had been in a relationship with Carrington since 2022.

"NaLyssa confidence is downnnnnnn bad since being in a relationship with that girl," the fan tweeted.

"…….mind you we been together since 2022 😭" Smith responded.

The fan made the claim after the Indiana Fever's loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Friday. Smith recorded three points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in 21 minutes. She shot 20.0% from the field.

NaLyssa responded two days later, after the Fever's thrilling 110-109 win against the Dallas Wings.

NaLyssa Smith and DiJonai Carrington were teammates at Baylor University. Carrington was picked 20th overall in the 2021 WNBA Draft, while Smith was picked second overall in the 2022 WNBA Draft.

DiJonai Carrington acknowledges NaLyssa Smith's performance against Wings

NaLyssa Smith put up relatively better stats during the Indiana Fever's matchup against the Dallas Wings on Sunday.

Smith recorded eight points, six rebounds, and one block while shooting 57.1% from the field in 19 minutes.

DiJonai Carrington took to X, formerly Twitter, to acknowledge her girlfriend's performance in the game.

"see what happens when my girl gets some touches 😇" Carrington tweeted.

NaLyssa Smith reportedly responded to DiJonai Carrington's post with a now-deleted tweet.

"Fun while it lasted, babe 😂😂" Smith reportedly tweeted.

NaLyssa's role has reduced this season, particularly in the second half. She is averaging 10.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.0 blocks in 24.9 minutes per game. She is averaging 21.2 minutes per contest during the second half of the season.

Comparatively, Smith averaged 15.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 28.5 minutes per game last season.

Nevertheless, with Caitlin Clark leading the way, the Indiana Fever have secured a spot in the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2016. They are placed sixth in the standings.

NaLyssa Smith and DiJonai Carrington could clash in the first round of the playoffs. The Connecticut Sun are third in the standings with two games remaining in the regular season.