Deyscha Smith

Boston

Editor and Writer at SLAM Magazine

Editor - NBA + WNBA (and all things 🏀) @slamonline @wslam

Articles

Liberty Coach Sends Strong Message on Kiki Iriafen

1 day ago | athlonsports.com | Deyscha Smith

Kiki Iriafen is only a rookie, but she's already caught the attention of the WNBA, from being named Rookie of the Month on Wednesday to setting records to even impressing the competition, including Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello. Ahead of the Washington Mystics' matchup against the New York Liberty on Thursday night, Brondello praised Iriafen for how well she's adjusted from playing in college at USC to now the WNBA.
Washington Mystics Make Major Kiki Iriafen Announcement After Career Night

3 days ago | sports.yahoo.com | Deyscha Smith

Washington Mystics Make Major Kiki Iriafen Announcement After Career Night originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen continues to impress as one of the most dynamic rookies this season. AdvertisementWith her ability to score, hold her own in the paint and compete at a level well beyond her years, her performance so far this season has caught everyone's attention—including the WNBA. On Wednesday, the League announced that she's been named Rookie of the Month.
Washington Mystics Make Major Kiki Iriafen Announcement After Career Night

3 days ago | athlonsports.com | Deyscha Smith

Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen continues to impress as one of the most dynamic rookies this season. With her ability to score, hold her own in the paint and compete at a level well beyond her years, her performance so far this season has caught everyone's attention-including the WNBA. On Wednesday, the League announced that she's been named Rookie of the Month.
Kiki Iriafen Joins Elite WNBA Company Against Indiana Fever

3 days ago | athlonsports.com | Deyscha Smith

Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen continues to impress as the one of the top rookies this season. Despite the Mystics' 85-76 loss to the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night, Iriafen had a career-night with 20 points and nine rebounds, just shy of a double-double. Iriafen, who is currently averaging 13.9 points and 10.1 rebounds, has now scored in double-figures in every game so far this season, making her the first rookie since A'ja Wilson to do so in eight-straight games.
Agot Makeer is Ready to Bring Her Versatile Game to South Carolina

1 week ago | slamonline.com | Deyscha Smith

“I can be part of that.”That’s what Agot Makeer would think to herself wherever she watched South Carolina play. The five-star recruit and the No. 4-ranked player in the class of 2025 recently committed to the Gamecocks in March, but even before that, she’d always felt drawn to the program. “Seeing the crowd, seeing the energy, seeing the joy they all have playing with each other, it’s just like, I want to be part of that,” Makeer tells us over the phone a few weeks after the news became official.
Back on Cloud 9: New York Liberty Star Natasha Cloud Covers SLAM 256

1 week ago | slamonline.com | Deyscha Smith

Natasha Cloud wasn’t expecting this type of welcome. The Philly native who grew up just a few hours from the Brooklyn borough she now calls home practically leapt out of the black SUVshe was riding in once it pulled up to Barclays Center. On an overcast day in mid-April, Cloud was welcomed to the New York Liberty with a seafoam carpet roll out.
From the West Side With Love: The LA Sparks Cover SLAM 256

2 weeks ago | slamonline.com | Deyscha Smith

“I think it’s a new era, so we’re not going to talk about it. We’re going to be about it.”Kelsey Plum has never been one to hold back. Not when she was 10 years old and told her mom that she wanted to play in the WNBA. Not in Washington, where she broke numerous records.
The Dallas Wings are Ready to FLY This Season

3 weeks ago | slamonline.com | Deyscha Smith

Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers is at the top of the key guarding Las Vegas Aces’ Jackie Young when all of a sudden, it hits her. Every rookie has their “Welcome to the W” moment, a reality check on just how competitive the League is. But for Bueckers, in her debut game, hers was literally a shoulder check straight to the chest. With 7:17 left in the first quarter, Young, one of the best scorers in the W, drove right at the 6-0 guard and former UConn star.
Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas & Satou Sabally Cover SLAM 256

3 weeks ago | slamonline.com | Deyscha Smith

Without the past, there’s no present. Let’s be real: we can’t talk about what’s going on in Phoenix right now without talking about Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner first. DT was the franchise’s first-ever No. 1 pick in ’04, and from the moment she arrived until she retired 20 years later, she was the franchise’s centerpiece, the iron at the core of their offense.
Angel, Big 4 and Liberty: Women's sports stars took over the Met Gala

1 month ago | slamonline.com | Deyscha Smith

Women’s sports took over the Met Gala. From Angel Reese—who was an honorary member of the host committee alongside track superstar Sha’Carri Richardson and the GOAT of gymnastics, Simone Biles—to the reigning New York Liberty champs Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu, women’s athletes took over the event.