WNBA standout to miss remainder of World Cup with injury

Alanna Smith during the Women's FIBA World Cup 2026 between Australia and Puerto Rico on September 4, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. | NurPhoto via Getty Images Alanna Smith is out for the rest of the FIBA World Cup, the Australian national team announced on Wednesday. Smith sustained a lower leg injury in the first half of Australia’s game against Puerto Rico and left the game with 10 points and 8 rebounds in just 12 minutes. Alanna Smith will be unavailable for the remainder of the FIBA Women’s World Cup to prioritise rehabilitation of a lower leg injury. The injury occurred late in the second quarter against Puerto Rico after a defensive contest. Smith was subbed immediately as a precaution and… pic.twitter.com/qLk6NlQFlV — Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) September 9, 2026 The news comes ahead of Australia facing Italy on Wednesday at 2:45 pm ET in a must-win game to qualify for the quarterfinals. If they win, they’ll face Spain in Thursday’s quarterfinals game; if they lose, their World Cup run is over. Australia beat Puerto Rico 70-54 in the first game of Group Play, and followed that up with a 16-point win over Turkey. But they lost to Belgium on Monday, so they did not automatically qualify for the quarterfinals. Australia has been led by Seattle Storm star Ezi Magbegor, who is averaging 15.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Las Vegas Aces forward Steph Talbot (14.7 points) and Storm guard Jade Melbourne (9.3 points) have also been key contributors. The team, which won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is coached by Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello. Whether Alanna Smith is available for the Dallas Wings remains to be seen Alanna Smith’s injury is undoubtedly a major blow to the Australian national team. It could also be detrimental to the Dallas Wings, who have already lost rookie Azzi Fudd to the season due to a knee injury. Smith is averaging 6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game for the Wings this year. But she’s had an injury-riddled campaign, missing time for both a head injury and a leg injury this. Last year’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year has also played a more limited role for the Wings than many expected when she signed a 3-year, $3.7 million max contract in the offseason, coming off the bench for most of the year and struggling defensively at times. The Wings won’t return to action until September 17th and have four remaining games in their regular season schedule. Whether Smith will be available to suit up for the playoff run ahead has yet to be revealed.

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