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Las Vegas Aces Sign Kalani Brown After NaLyssa Smith’s Season-Ending Injury
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- Las Vegas Aces Sign Kalani Brown After NaLyssa Smith’s Season-Ending Injury
(Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
The Las Vegas Aces signed center Kalani Brown on Saturday. Khristina Williams of Girls Talk Sports TV reported the agreement before the team announced it. Brown is 6-foot-7 and had not played in the WNBA since the 2025 Finals. Starting forward NaLyssa Smith was carried off the floor in Toronto with a left knee injury six days earlier.
With Smith out for the year, Aces president and general manager Nikki Fargas said Brown has made an impact on every team she has played for.
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"The Las Vegas Aces are thrilled to welcome Kalani to the family," Fargas said in a statement. "She brings an extremely diverse defensive skill set, has a great paint presence, and is a strong rebounder. Kalani has made such an impact on each team she's played for and will have continued success in an Aces uniform."
Brown was drafted seventh overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2019 and averaged 5.1 points and 3.5 rebounds across 28 appearances as a rookie. The Sparks traded her to the Atlanta Dream in February 2020. She signed a training camp contract with the Aces in February 2022 and did not play a regular-season game for the franchise.
In 2023 with the Dallas Wings , Brown averaged 7.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 16.4 minutes over 32 appearances with 5 starts. Dallas sent her to the Phoenix Mercury in a four-team trade before the 2025 season.
Over 29 regular-season games with Phoenix, Brown averaged 5.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 12.8 minutes. Her minutes fell over the second half of the season. She was back in the rotation for the Finals, which Las Vegas swept in four games.
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On April 16, Brown and the Mercury agreed to a contract buyout, and she became an unrestricted free agent. Williams reported that deal as well. Phoenix bought out DeWanna Bonner this week, and Bonner signed with the Atlanta Dream on Friday.
Brown spent the winter with the Shanxi Flame and reached the Women's Chinese Basketball Association Finals. She scored 34 points on 15-of-18 shooting in an 87-80 Game 4 win over Sichuan on April 22 that forced a decider. Sichuan took the series in Taiyuan three days later, 74-65, with Brown finishing with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Between seasons in China, she trained in New Orleans. She played at Salmen High School in Slidell before Baylor.
Brown's father, P.J. Brown, won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008. He and Brown's mother, DeJuna, both played at Louisiana Tech.
Smith started 38 games this season and averaged 11.7 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 63.8% from the field. She went down late in the third quarter of an 88-78 win at Toronto on Aug. 23 and was ruled out for the season on Aug. 27.
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After Friday's 93-73 home win over the Toronto Tempo , Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said Cheyenne Parker-Tyus had been set back by a concussion that cost her multiple games.
"Cheyenne is going to be a big part of moving forward with no (Smith)," Hammon said. "We're going to keep staying on her in this little break."
Parker-Tyus scored 9 points and grabbed 7 rebounds on 3-of-5 shooting against Toronto, with 4 of them on the offensive glass. She is averaging 4.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in her 11th season. The concussion cost her 10 games.
A'ja Wilson scored 27 points and Jackie Young added 23 in the win. Las Vegas is 27-13 and third in the Western Conference behind the Minnesota Lynx and the Golden State Valkyries .
The Aces do not play again until Sept. 17 at the Seattle Storm , with the league on a two-week break for the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. Four regular-season games remain.
