Alanna Smith Says She Expected More From Dallas At Wings Media Day

Media day is an opportunity for most new signings to make an early impression, but it didn’t quite go as Alanna Smith would have liked. The Dallas Wings finally got Smith on their team last week after she cleared her immigration-related hurdles. Alanna wasted no time jumping on the headlines, noting her frustration with one particular part of her time at Dallas.

Speaking at the Wings media day on Monday (April 27), Smith said she expected to see more cowboy hats in Dallas as she reflected on the differences she notices playing in the city as a Wings player compared to when she plays as an opponent.

“When I went out there I didn’t get to see much of this place but I had assumptions that it was like the wild west out here like all cowboy hats and cowboy boots,” said Smith. So I’ve kind of been a little bit disappointed that it’s not like that. More cowboy hats. “Where are they?”

Now, it is well known in the country that the two things you most often associate with Dallas are its basketball and cowboy hats. In these parts, cowboy hats aren’t just a fashion statement; they are a symbol of the indigenous people’s link to their Texas heritage. The love for these hats is so strong in Dallas that Garland, one of the city’s suburbs, is sometimes called the “cowboy hat capital of Texas.”

So it’s not wrong for Smith to expect more cowboy hats when she gets to Dallas. But like I said, the hats aren't really part of their everyday wardrobe, they wear them for special events so that kind of takes away from Smith's expectations to see those in Dallas' everyday life. Now that he’s signed a long three-year deal with the Wings, it’s pretty certain that Smith will get plenty of opportunities to grace such events in Dallas and may even wear one.

The Wings have a tradition of their own for welcoming their rookie in cowboy hats. We saw it last year with Paige Bueckers who went No. 1 in the draft. And then the franchise did it again with Azzi Fudd who donned a cowboy hat for her first professional photoshoot with the team.

But Smith, one of the incoming senior pros on the team, doesn’t fit the tradition unfortunately. Still, Alanna Smith is bonding pretty well with the team, especially with players like Bueckers, in training sessions, despite missing a few days of camp due to immigration issues. These are pretty standard requirements for international players, who often have to make sure their visas and paperwork are squared away before they can play in the U.S. According The 29-year-old, who flew back to the United States on Friday, reports said. Saturday morning she headed straight to the training floor. Upon her return to camp, Wings coach Jose Fernandez praised Smith’s “tremendous commitment” to the team.

“She came home late last night, and she could not have gone today,” Fernandez said. “It was great because now she gets it off the glass, and for me, she initiates the break. She can take it. “Now, we can play fast, share it, get our wings in the deep corners and take the slots.” But often such anticipation and hype around a player comes with a chip on the shoulder and it’s no different for Smith as well.

Alanna Smith Reflects On Pressure Around Her When Joining Dallas Wings

There is no question that Smith is one of the Wings’ big-ticket free-agent signings this season. Now, it might have flown under the radar a little as most of the headlines centered around their No.1 pick, Azzi Fudd. But with the arrival of a player like Smith, a seven-year veteran and one of the most standout defensive players of her generation, there’s not a lot of doubt there will be high expectations and pressure around her as well.

She thought about that pressure at Wings media day, saying she’s not rushing things when she arrives in Dallas. “I think there’s a little bit of pressure, but I’ve been in moments or teams before where maybe expectations have been different to what the outcomes have been,” said Smith. “So I’m trusting the process. And I think we have the right pieces to be successful, and I’m just excited to get going.”

If you check out the Wings forward’s career timeline, you’d get a perfect hang of what she’s trying to tell. For instance, when she joined the Chicago Sky in 2023 the team had just come off a Championship run in 2021. Of course, Sky were hoping to extend that winning run even further. Similarly, her stint with the Minnesota Lynx came with championship expectations.

The thing to remember here is that Smith, in her last few stints, has been in franchises that have been perennially successful in the last few years. The Dallas Wings are the opposite in this regard, coming off a 10-34 record last season. That should be a huge test of Smith’s approach with the Wings during this stint.

And to add to all this, Alanna Smith comes with enormous expectations after her last season, where she was Co-Defensive player of the year in 2025. The Wings are counting on her to lift the ceiling of the team’s defense, especially after their poor showing last season when they posted one of the worst defensive ratings (109.9).

There will be times when she gets help from Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, but it’s pretty certain the Wings forward will have to carry much of the defensive load for the Wings during the season. They’ll open the preseason schedule on April 30 against the Indiana Fever to see how this all plays out for the club. Smith and the Wings will get to see how their defensive schemes hold up against the Fever with Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell on the other side.