Minnesota Lynx's Alanna Smith clarifies her sexuality in response to post about league’s 'gayest team'

On Thursday, Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith commented on a social media post that claimed to have identified the "gayest team" in the WNBA. In particular, Smith refuted an assertion made about her in the post.

This past Tuesday, the Instagram account of a magazine called "Fruitslice," which describes itself as a "quarterly publication featuring exclusively Queer writers, artists and creators," published a post entitled, "Which team is the gayest in the WNBA?" In this post, the Lynx came in second, citing Smith as one of the "openly gay" players on the roster.

According to an IG post by Fruitslice, the Minnesota Lynx is the second "gayest" team in the WNBA. Credit: Fruitslice/IG

Smith went on to comment on the post:

"So sorry to disappoint but this is me coming out publicly as straight. I am a strong ally tho."

Alanna Smith responds to the post by Fruitslice. Credit: Smith/IG

Smith also posted an IG story to double down on her statement.

"Me wondering why everyone thinks I'm gay?" she wrote in the caption.

Alanna Smith wonders on Instagram. Credit: Smith/IG

As far as the standings go, the Lynx are second to none, as they share the top seed with the New York Liberty. Undefeated through five games, Minnesota is currently second in offensive rating, making them a formidable opponent for just about anyone in the league.

Alanna Smith on Lynx HC's reaction to 19-turnover game: "It would have been a very different picture if we lost"

The Lynx, though, have had their fair share of flaws to start the season. For instance, in their May 21 win over the Dallas Wings, they committed a whopping 19 turnovers. When asked about head coach Cheryl Reeve's reaction to this glaring statistic, Smith got candid on the longstanding Lynx mentor.

"I mean, we won. So I’d be in a good mood too if we won," Smith told reporters during a recent media availability. "I think it would have been a very different picture if we lost. But I think that’s what makes her such a good coach is that she can get on us and have high expectations for us."

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Reeve certainly knows what she's doing, as she has led the Lynx to four WNBA titles.

About the author

Simoun Victor Redoblado is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over 12 years of experience writing for publications such as Collider, ALL-STAR Magazine, and Sir Charles in Charge.

Simoun has a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education, Major in English and Minor in journalism. Thanks to the journalism courses that he took, Simoun understood the fundamentals of journalistic storytelling in the context of sports writing.

Passionate for the UP Fighting Maroons, Simoun is a fan of the NBA, PBA, UAAP, and FIBA.
His childhood team was the Chicago Bulls and Simoun was a longtime supporter of the Houston Rockets because his friends would say he looked like Yao Ming.

Simoun loves the systematic, tactical movement of the ball and the players, the stories behind each individual competing on the hardcourt and most of all, how basketball is a sport for life and all its struggles and lessons.

A father of two, Simoun spends his free time with his kids.

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Edited by John Maxwell