Olympic foes now friends for Smith ahead of WNBA restart

The WNBA season resumes this weekend and Aussie Alanna Smith returns to the court with her teammates who just 10 days ago were the arch-enemy.

Alanna Smith celebrates with Diana Taurasi and their Phoenix Mercury teammates Source: Getty Images

Smith, who plays for Phoenix Mercury, returned to the United States as an Olympian after representing the Australian Opals in Tokyo.

The Opals campaign came to an end in the quarter-finals at the hands of eventual gold medallists, the USA.

Three stars of that powerhouse American team - Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith - are Smith’s Phoenix teammates.

"It was weird. There were a few times in that game where Diana and I were guarding each other and she’d do something that I’ve seen her do a million times over and I’d be like, ‘hey, good move…but don’t do that'," Smith told SBS Sport.

“I’ve played with her and watched her so much I’d know what she was going to do and she’d know what I was going to do. We had a few cheeky words to each other during the game, it was actually quite funny.

“There’s a reason why the USA are ranked number one in the world; they are extremely talented as a team and as players, and you get to see them go to work every day in the WNBA.”

The 24-year-old from Melbourne says she’s excited to get back on court with the Mercury after realising a childhood dream of playing for her country at an Olympic Games.

“It’s crazy. You have to be in a certain mindset when you’re in the WNBA season and that changes when you go to the Olympics and, whether or not you medal, you still have that title of (being an) Olympian," Smith explained.

“Coming back to the US and getting back into the groove of things, you now have that status of being an Olympian, representing your country and that’s a really proud thing. I’m now adjusting back to the WNBA and getting into it.

“When you achieve something you’ve dreamed about your entire life, it’s almost surreal to come back to the WNBA and be able to play again after doing something like that. I think you play with a new perspective on things and a new mindset.”

Phoenix are currently seventh in the league with a 9-10 record and take on the Atlanta Dream on Monday morning, live from 8am on SBS VICELAND.

“They’ve [Atlanta] just got a new player in Candice Dupree and are an elite team in their own right," she said.

"Atlanta are athletic, they’re quick, they’ve got a lot of scoring power, so for us it will be about just playing good defence but also playing our style of basketball and not focusing too much on what they’re going to do.

“The way to win will be playing the best version of our basketball.”