- Charles D. Smith
Infobox NBA Player
name = Charles Smith
position = Power forward
nickname =
height_ft = 6
height_in = 10
weight_lb = 230
nationality = American
birth_date = birth date and age|1965|7|16
birth_place =Bridgeport, Connecticut
college = Pittsburgh
draft = 3rd overall
draft_year = 1988
draft_team =Philadelphia 76ers
career_start = 1988
career_end = 1997
former_teams = Los Angeles Clippers (1988-1992)New York Knicks (1992-1996)San Antonio Spurs (1996-1997)
awards =Charles Daniel Smith (born
July 16 1965 inBridgeport, Connecticut ) is a retired American professionalbasketball player in theNBA .College career
As a college player, Smith was named
Big East Player of the Year. Smith led a revitalizedUniversity of Pittsburgh basketball program as it moved into a national spotlight. Along with power forwardJerome Lane , Charles Smith and the Pitt Basketball Team became a major force incollege basketball . Yet the Panthers were never able to win a national championship during Smith's tenure.He played for the US national team in the
1986 FIBA World Championship , which won thegold medal . [citation | url=http://www.usabasketball.com/inside.php?page=history_content&id=5 | title=USA Basketball History | publisher=USA Basketball | accessdate=2008-08-19 ] and the 1988 Olympics which won abronze medal .NBA career
After his college career the 6' 10", 230 lb power forward was selected third overall in the
1988 NBA Draft by thePhiladelphia 76ers but was immediately traded to theLos Angeles Clippers . After four years with the Clippers where he was among the team's top scorers and rebounders, he was traded to theNew York Knicks withDoc Rivers andBo Kimble forpoint guard Mark Jackson. Smith was expected to fill the hole atsmall forward left byXavier McDaniel after the Knicks failed to re-sign him after their successful 1991-92 season, a role that Smith struggled in as he was primarily a power forward (a role whichCharles Oakley had already filled). As Smith's stats declined, he was traded to theSan Antonio Spurs forJ.R. Reid before retiring in1997 due to knee injuries.As a member of the Knicks, Smith is infamous for missing four consecutive shots directly under the basket as he attempted to give New York the lead in Game Five of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals against the
Chicago Bulls . After taking a 2-0 lead in the series, the Knicks lost Games Three and Four in Chicago. With a chance to take a 3-2 series lead at theMadison Square Garden , Smith's attempts were hampered byMichael Jordan ,Horace Grant , andScottie Pippen in the final seconds, becoming one of the most notorious and probably most disappointing moments in Knicks history. The Knicks then lost Game Six and the series in Chicago to complete an epic collapse, while the Bulls moved on to defeat thePhoenix Suns in the NBA Finals and win their third consecutive championship. Despite the assertion of sports columnist F.J. Urena, that series loss to the Bulls can be hung squarely on Charles Smith's shoulders. From there on, he (along with Pat Ewing, John Starks, and '92 draft bust Hubert Davis) continued to be a hinderance to any Knicks team chances of winning an NBA Championship while playing for them.Post-retirement
In 1989, Smith founded the Charles D. Smith Foundation and Educational Center, in which the building was the first City Hall in the Northeast, and was later converted into a library. The after school center was created for inner-city school children from kindergarten to 9th grades to improve academics and offer a place for youth to get off the streets. Located in Smith's hometown of Bridgeport, it was his dream since playing at Pitt to operate the center that still stands today.Smith currently resides in New Jersey, but frequently returns to his hometown.
References
External links
*basketball-reference|id=s/smithch01|name=Charles Smith
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