Minnesota Lynx Star DiJonai Carrington Is Dating Another WNBA Player
Following her collegiate basketball career, DiJonai Carrington was selected with the 20th pick by the Connecticut Sun in the 2021 WNBA draft.
She played on the team for three seasons until she was traded to the Dallas Wings and then to the Minnesota Lynx. But while with the Wings, she gave fans couples’ goals with a fellow player she has been in a relationship with for years.
Here’s more about Carrington and her partner, NaLyssa Smith.
How long have Carrington and Smith been together?
DiJonai Carrington was born on Jan. 8, 1998, in San Diego. She attended Horizon Christian Academy and after graduation, enrolled in Stanford University. During her four years as a Cardinal, she helped the team win two Pac-12 tournament championships. In addition, she was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention team in 2018 and 2019, and the Academic Honor Roll in 2020.
Carrington grad-transferred to Baylor University in 2020 to play with the Lady Bears, and that’s when she met Smith.
NaLyssa Smith was born on Aug. 8, 2000, in San Antonio, Texas. She comes from a family of athletes, as her father played basketball for the UTSA Roadrunners in college and her brother played soccer at the University of Saint Mary’s.
Smith attended East Central High School in her hometown before she enrolled in Baylor. She was selected by the Indiana Fever with the second overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft and named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team.
Carrington and Smith have been dating since the 2020-21 season at Baylor.
Carrington and Smith were devastated by a trade
Although they were drafted by different WNBA teams, Smith and Carrington reunited as teammates in early 2025 when they were both traded to the Dallas Wings.
However, on June 30, 2025, a trade was finalized that sent Smith to the Las Vegas Aces. The Aces broke the news via social media, writing: “Las Vegas has acquired NaLyssa Smith from the Dallas Wings in exchange for the Aces’ 2027 First Round Pick.”
Since joining the Wings, Smith had been averaging 6.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game for the team, so she was taken aback by the news. And because Smith and Carrington had played together at Baylor and were lucky enough to be on the same team in the WNBA, Smith’s trade away from Dallas was extremely tough on both of them.
Smith posted about it first, saying she was surprised and “sick to her stomach” over it.
Carrington followed up her girlfriend’s post on X with a broken heart emoji. She also shared some pictures of the women together with a mending-heart and infinity emojis.
Smith later acknowledged that she was excited to play with a WNBA GOAT
Following her heartbreak and shock over the trade, Smith did share that she does recognize greatness and that she was excited to be joining three-time WNBA MVP and two-time WNBA champion A’ja Wilson.
“On another note tho if I could’ve chose anywhere to go, it would’ve been Vegas so hella excited 4 this new opportunity wit my goat,” Smith wrote on X.
On Aug. 3, 2025, Carrington was traded from Dallas to the Minnesota Lynx for Diamond Miller, Karlie Samuelson, and the Lynx’s 2027 second-round draft pick.
