26
Jun
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It's a Cole World: Opals star Alanna Smith on her WNBA rise
Bec Cole is joined by WNBA and Opals superstar Alanna Smith on the latest edition of It's a Cole World.
One of the premier bigs in the WNBA joins Bec Cole on It's a Cole World.
- Alanna Smith is second in the WNBA in blocks at 2.5 per game, trailing just A'ja Wilson and in front of Ezi Magbegor
- She was drafted with the eighth pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft
- Smith was named in the All-Star Five at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024
Alanna Smith has completed a meteoric rise to becoming one of the top bigs in the WNBA with the Minnesota Lynx.
Currently second in blocks for this season at 2.5 per game, just ahead of another Opals star in Ezi Magbegor, Smith has helped lead the Lynx back to its former glory, which included a WNBA Finals appearance last season and them being one of the contenders for the championship again this year.
The former Stanford University standout joined WNBL champion Bec Cole on the latest edition of It's a Cole World to talk about how she's grown in Minnesota, being one of the league's premier defenders and her team's desire to win the WNBA title after an agonising loss to the New York Liberty in last season's finals.
Also on the agenda:
- How Smith plans her outfits for the glitz and glamour of the WNBA pregame entrances
- Playing in front of packed stadiums in the rising WNBA
- The areas of her game she wants to improve
Who is Bec Cole
Rebecca Cole is one of Australian basketball's most accomplished shooting guards, known for her scoring ability and championship success across multiple leagues.
Name: Rebecca Cole
Age: 33
Team(s): Southside Flyers (WNBL), Waverley Falcons (NBL1 South)
Position: Shooting guard
Size: 178 cm
Five Fast Facts
- Played for six different Victorian-based teams throughout her career
- Attended Caulfield Grammar School before beginning her professional career
- Has maintained a professional career spanning over 15 years (2009-present)
- Won championships in both the WNBL and NBL1 during the 2024 season
- Represented the Bulleen Boomers in two different leagues (WNBL and Big V)
Career Highlights Timeline
2009: Began professional career with the Australian Institute of Sport
2012: Joined the Bulleen Boomers for her first WNBL club signing
2018: Transferred to Dandenong Rangers (later Southside Flyers)
2019: Runner-Up WNBL MVP, Selected to the WNBL All-Star Five for the first time
2020: Won first WNBL championship with Southside Flyers
2022: Joined Waverley Falcons in NBL1 South
2024: Completed championship double, winning WNBL title with Southside Flyers and NBL1 National championship with Waverley Falcons, earning Finals MVP honours
2025: Joined basketball.com.au as a key expert on Australian basketball
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