After nearly a full season away from the league, 6-foot-7 center Kalani Brown will make her return to the WNBA with the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.
The signing was announced on Saturday, Aug. 29 and comes after the Aces lost starting forward NaLyssa Smith to a season-ending injury last week.
“The Las Vegas Aces are thrilled to welcome Kalani to the family,” Aces president and general manager Nikki Fargas said in a statement. “She brings an extremely diverse defensive skill set, has a great paint presence, and is a strong rebounder. Kalani has made such an impact on each team she’s played for and will have continued success in an Aces uniform.”
Brown was drafted with the No. 7 overall pick in 2019 by the Los Angeles Sparks and has also played
for the Atlanta Dream and Dallas Wings.
Most recently, she was dealt to the Phoenix Mercury from the Wings ahead of the 2025 season in a four-team trade.
Brown started the season in what appeared would be a key role with the Mercury as the team dealt with multiple injuries, but her minutes were cut significantly in the latter half of the campaign as the Mercury made a run to the WNBA Finals and got swept by the Aces.
Brown finished the year averaging 5.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.6 blocks in 12.8 minutes per game.
Before this season began, the Mercury agreed to a buyout with Brown and she became an unrestricted free agent in April.
Brown is poised to join the Aces' roster as a much-needed front court option, as Smith was averaging 11.7 points with 6.4 rebounds per game with a league-high 63.8 percent shooting percentage.
After the Aces' last game, a 97-73 home win over the Toronto Tempo on Friday, Aug. 28, Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon highlighted veteran forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus as she spoke about proceeding without Smith.
"Cheyenne is going to be a big part of moving forward with no (Smith)," Hammon said. "We're going to keep staying on her in this little break."
Parker-Tyus scored nine points in 12 minutes in the win, with Hammon adding that the veteran center was set back by a concussion that caused her to miss multiple games.
Since the Aces (27-13) don't play again until Thursday, Sept. 17 against the Seattle Storm as the league takes a two-week break for the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, Hammon will have some time to get Brown and Parker-Tyus back up to speed.
Brown is already in Las Vegas and was seen at Friday's game.
She's fresh off taking the Shanxi Flame to the WBCA Finals. Outside of playing basketball in China, she was training in New Orleans, where she previously broke out as a star at Salmen High School in Slidell before embarking on her collegiate and WNBA career.
Brown's father, P.J. Brown, is a former NBA champion who played for the Boston Celtics. He and Kalani's mother, DeJuna, played for Louisiana Tech.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kalani Brown to return to WNBA with defending champion Las Vegas Aces
