Los Angeles Sparks select Kiana Smith in second round of 2022 WNBA Draft Smith is the 16th former Cardinal ever to be drafted. Today we will discuss about Kianna Smith: Cal Basketball| Draft| Family| Boyfriend
Kianna Smith: Cal Basketball| Draft| Family| Boyfriend
Kiana Smith (born June 10, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Smith played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals. He graduated from Troy High School in Fullerton, California, where he was rated a five-star recruit by ESPN and named a McDonald’s All-American. At the college level, Smith played for California, where he was a Pac-12 Conference All-freshman team selection, and relocated to Louisville for his junior season.
| No. 5 – Los Angeles Sparks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard / Shooting guard |
| League | WNBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 10, 1999 |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
Cal Basketball
Named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team at the end of the season after playing all 32 games for the Golden Bears, starting 31… leading the team to finish fourth on the team scoring 8.6 points per game. With 4.8 assists per game … scored a career-high 20 points against Virginia in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, adding eight assists, going 9-14 from the floor … in the Pac-12 in assists per game Finished seventh, while all conference freshmen in the leading category… ended the year in third place among all freshmen in Division I with 4.8 assists per game and all Division I freshmen with 2.05 assist-to-turnover ratio In fifth place. Cal made a double-figure in final four. Six games of the season, including 36 assists and just 13 turnovers in the same period … named Pac-12 after scoring 14 points and USBWA National Freshman of the Week and adding 8 assists to Cal’s win over Kentucky Just 1 turnover… out of a career-hello gh 12 assists in Cal’s win over Manhattan, the most by any Cal player…. Goes 4-5 out of the arc in the Bears’ win over the Jaspers, scoring a career-best 17 points at the time for his first collegiate double-double… Scored 16 points at No. 14 Stanford in Cal’s upset, 7- 11 Moving On To The Floor And Adding A Career-Best Three Steals
Draft
Forward Emily Angstler was taken by Indiana Fever at No. 4 overall in the evening, making it the fifth WNBA draft (2009, 2014, 2019, 2020), and the third in the past four years where as many Cardinals have been drafted. Smith is the 16th former Cardinal to ever be drafted.
The 6-foot-0 guard was one of Louisville’s top players during his two years as a Cardinal, after sitting out for the 2019–20 season due to NCAA transfer rules at the time. Smith finished as the team’s second leading scorer during the 2021–22 season, behind only Hailey van Lith, with 12.0 points per game, and assisted the Cardinals with 2.7 per game and made three with 62.
“We’ve seen her hit some really big shots,” ESPN women’s basketball analyst Lachina Robinson said earlier this week.
“She’s also a really good playmate, sees the floor well, has a high-level understanding of the game, plays some point guard, so I think it helps her that she’s just the overall team. But if she’s hitting the shots, she’s a player who I think can be exciting, especially with her size.”
Family
Tuesday’s game against Cal Poly, which is in central California, is much more than a homecoming for the Southern California native, it’s a game against his father’s school. Smith’s father, John Smith, is a men’s basketball coach at Cal Poly. He will travel back from Monday’s game to see his daughter play at his school.
However, alliances are not determined by the color of the jersey. It’s all about the family, said Smith’s mother, Kelly Smith.
“I can take it apart,” Kelly said. “It’s family first, okay.”
These trips to the players’ hometowns are not by chance. Louisville was in Sioux Falls, the home of freshman Sidney Shetnan. These are purposeful away games arranged by coach Jeff Walz. During Smith’s recruitment of Walz, Kelly mentions getting him a return trip to California. And the coach arrived.
“She shared all that in the process when she was relocating, but it’s really rare to even put it into action,” Kelly said. “He really does his best to do what he says he’s going to do and cares about girls more than basketball.”
Kelly said Walz wanted Smith’s father to have a chance to see him in person.
Boyfriend
The former five-time NBA champion and coach of the Los Angeles Sparks — rookie and former Louisville guard Kianna Smith — isn’t worried about his feelings.
“As you were asking about her, her face immediately brings to mind how serious she is about her craft,” Fischer said. “Kind of reminds me of myself… Lamar Odom used to call me ‘Lil Pro’ because my face was always straight. It doesn’t take a lot of smiles and jokes in practice.”
