The tiger has been let out of its den. A’ja Wilson was back and kicking for the Aces in her first preseason game after missing the Japan game with an illness. “Her thing is, if we were playing in a playoff series, she’d be playing,” Becky Hammon had said. Wilson racked up 18 points and 5 rebounds in her first game of 2026 but a rash action against a Dallas Wings star has earned the ire of the fans. 

Alanna Smith was already coming into this game on the back of an injury. She was initially listed as questionable as Smith because of a quad injury. However, Smith was eventually fit enough to play and was making Wilson’s life difficult on defense. She was on fire offensively as well with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting and a team-high 7 rebounds in just 12 minutes but an injury struck courtesy of A’ja Wilson. 

Wilson was bringing the ball up the floor for the Aces when Smith tried to go for a steal. During that same moment, Wilson got her hand up to pass the ball and her elbow clashed with Smith’s face, leaving her on the ground. Wilson was immediately called for a foul but the situation was much worse. Blood dripped from Smith’s mouth as she called for a physio. After a video review, the officials upgraded the foul to a flagrant one. 

Smith retreated to the locker room and fears began to grow that the injury could be serious as she was ruled out from the rest of the game. However, Smith came out on the sidelines with an ice pack on her face and was smiling while talking with Jessica Shepherd. Yet, the foul itself from Wilson immediately drew the ire of the fans who have criticized the reigning MVP. 

Fans Urge A’ja Wilson to Dial It Back After “Dirty” Preseason Foul on Alanna Smith

“Dirty play by the MVP,” accused a fan. “Season didn’t start yet and Alanna Smith lost a tooth. @_ajawilson22 gotta relax damn,” stated another. Well, there is no update on what Smith’s condition is. The elbow impact did not look good but Smith seemed cheery when she returned to the bench. Preseason usually sees more whistles and lesser physicality. Because the stakes are almost nothing and each team is focused on gelling together as a team and regrouping in the new season. 

Even the referees have made sure that the physicality is on the low side with more fouls called in the preseason this year. But A’ja Wilson was not in the same mood as she brought her extreme intensity to this game, which ultimately led  to this injury to Smith.  Such plays would have drawn eyes for any player but considering Wilson is the reigning MVP and the champion, it just adds to the weight. 

“Isn’t Alanna Smith her co-defensive player of the year??? Eliminating your rival this early in the pre-season.  A’ja is a thug,” wrote a fan. “A’ja just wrestling Alanna Smith wtf,” commented another fan. Smith and Wilson shared the ‘Defensive Player Of The Year’ honors for the first time in the award’s history. So, Smith and Wilson are essentially rivals in that sense.

And as the best defender on the Wings, she was often guarding Wilson in this game. That just adds spice to this clash down the line. These teams are scheduled to face each other three times during the season. Smith will look to respond to this foul by clamping the best player in the league.

Even before this play, Wilson and Jessica Shepherd had a clash. The Wings star went for a layup and Wilson leaped for a block. Wilson ended up falling on Shepherd and it was deemed a foul on Wilson. So, there was no shortage of physical plays from the Vegas star. Another fan had a different perspective on Alanna Smith’s incident.

“Now Alanna Smith is injured after being hit in the mouth & is done for the night. Another player whose coach shouldn’t have really had her in the second half, #WNBA” wrote a fan. Smith’s injury troubles make it difficult to manage her minutes and ease her way in. She needs to get the reps in with her new teammates as well. 

Fortunately, Fernandez has scraped through the preseason without any serious troubles, especially with Smith. With the season yet to begin, this clash between Smith and Wilson may just be the first chapter of a heated rivalry fans will be watching closely.