Steve Smith (basketball)

Infobox NBAretired
name=Steve Smith


width=
caption=
position=Shooting guard
number=3, 8
height_ft= 6|height_in=7
weight_lbs=200
birthdate=birth date and age|1969|3|31
Highland Park, Michigan
debutyear=1991
finalyear=2005
draftyear=1991
draftround=1
draftpick=5
draftteam=Miami Heat
college=Michigan State
teams=
*Miami Heat (1991–1994, 2005)
*Atlanta Hawks (1995–1999)
*Portland Trail Blazers (1999–2001)
*San Antonio Spurs (2001–2003)
*New Orleans Hornets (2003–2004)
*Charlotte Bobcats (2004–2005)
stat1label=Points
stat1value=13,430
stat2label=Rebounds
stat2value=3,060
stat3label=Assists
stat3value=2,922
letter=s
bbr=smithst01
highlights=
*J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award (1998)
*NBA Sportsmanship Award (2002)
HOF=

Steven (Steve) Delano Smith (born March 31, 1969, in Highland Park, Michigan) is a retired American basketball player. He played with several teams in his 14-year National Basketball Association career, including the Miami Heat, the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs, but is perhaps best known for his five-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks which included an All-Star Game appearance in 1998. He won a championship with the Spurs in 2003.

Smith was widely regarded as an excellent three-point shooter and an experienced veteran and won the 1994 FIBA World Championship [ [http://www.usabasketball.com/history/mwc_1994.html 1994 USA Basketball] ] and an Olympic gold medal with the Olympic USA basketball team in 2000 at Sydney.

NBA career

Smith was selected fifth overall in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat for whom he played for three seasons before being traded two games into the 1994-95 season to the Atlanta Hawks. He spent five seasons with the Hawks before being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jim Jackson and Isaiah Rider.

He was traded to the Spurs for Derek Anderson in the off-season of 2001. He won an NBA title with the Spurs before signing as a free agent with the New Orleans Hornets in 2003 where he played for one season. He began the 2004-05 season with the newly-formed Charlotte Bobcats, where he was named team co-captain and scored the franchise's first 3-point field goal, but he was later re-acquired by the Heat at the February 24, 2005 trade deadline in exchange for Malik Allen. He announced his retirement at the end of that season. [ [http://www.insidehoops.com/smith-retire-092905.shtml Steve Smith to retire] ]

He holds career averages of 14.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 35.8 percent from behind the three-point line. He also holds the Hawks' single-game record for 3 pointers with 9.

Personal life

Smith is also well known for his many charitable pursuits, including a USD $2.5 million gift to his alma mater, Michigan State University, where he was a star guard under coach Jud Heathcote. Smith's donation helped to fund the Clara Bell Smith Student Athletic Center, which is named for his mother. At the time, this was the largest single donation by a professional athlete to his alma mater in history. In recognition for his generosity, during the 1997-98 NBA season, Smith received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, and in 2001-02 received the Joe Dumars NBA Sportsmanship Award.

He is currently an announcer on Atlanta Hawks games with Bob Rathbun.

Notes

External links

*NBA-profile|steve_smith|Steve Smith
*basketball-reference|id=s/smithst01|name=Steve Smith
* [http://www.nba.com/news/steve_smith_061220.html NBA.com: Where Are They Now: Steve Smith]