NaLyssa Smith is coming back home. Like a majority of WNBA players, the Indiana Fever star also went overseas to ply her trade to keep active and earn some extra cash. Smith, who got drafted by the Fever in 2022, is not exactly a fan favorite in Indy. Amid rumors of being traded, one Chinese women’s hoop team also revealed that Smith had been released. But even after this news, one good thing she might look forward to is reuniting with her girlfriend, Dijonai Carrington.

The Connecticut Sun star recently posted an Instagram story of herself sitting in a car’s sun-kissed spot. She waves the camera around herself, showing off her fit, and the geotag announcing Miami. But the caption which says, “omw to surprise #1” with a blushing smile emoji is what catches attention. Lower on the screen, Smith’s Instagram has been tagged with a couple of kiss emojis.

The couple who went to Baylor together, has been dating since their college days. Always making sure to support one another, social media has multiple instances of each half of the couple cheering the other on. In this instance, the surprise from Carrington may have been ruined because she tagged Smith to see it!

Nevertheless, the Fever player reposted it on her story with the caption, “Birthday content all day folks” with a celebration emoji. Today, Jan. 8, happens to be Carrington’s birthday! But why is the birthday girl the one surprising her girlfriend?

Well, it may be because of Smith being unexpectedly let go from the Zhejiang Golden Bulls. The Chinese team said in a statement, “After friendly negotiations between both parties, our club has amicably broken up with American player Nalyssa Smith. The club will continue to search for suitable foreign players.”

In November, she was involved in a shoving incident where she threw the ball at an opposing team’s player’s feet, who threw it back at Smith. It looked ready to turn into a fistfight but the referee intervened. While she’s back home now, there is no surety of her future yet. But many are thinking the Miami connection may have to do with Smith taking part in Unrivaled, of which her girlfriend is also a member.

While some fans may be speculating about Smith’s future in Indiana, Carrington has made her thoughts on the team clear.

When Dijonai Carrington asked Indiana Fever to ‘free’ girlfriend NaLyssa Smith

It’s safe to say that a lot of the current Indiana Fever fanbase is new to women’s basketball and mainly a Caitlin Clark fan. After the Connecticut Sun ousted the Fever from round one of the playoffs, no one was happy. But they turned downright furious when Dijonai Carrington seemingly gave Clark a poke in the eye after trying to grab the ball near the basket.

Carrington said it was an accident, Clark said it was an accident, but a lot of fans didn’t think so. The Sun player had already called out Fever fans as the “worst fans” in the league. Then in a WNBA X post featuring the couple, Carrington reposted it with the hashtag #FreeHer, which many took to imply from her team.

Well, after a rollercoaster of a year, there now seems to be no surety about where Smith might end up. She did not end up with the Golden State Valkyries in the draft last December, but a trade might still be in her future. Or she might star in Indiana!