Smith during his tenure with the Atlanta Hawks
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|
Free agent | |
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Position | Power forward / Small forward |
Personal information | |
Born |
College Park, Georgia |
December 5, 1985
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
Career information | |
High school |
McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) |
NBA draft | 2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17th overall |
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks | |
Playing career | 2004–present |
Career history | |
2004–2013 | Atlanta Hawks |
2013–2014 | Detroit Pistons |
2014–2015 | Houston Rockets |
2015–2016 | Los Angeles Clippers |
2016 | Houston Rockets |
2016–2017 | Sichuan Blue Whales |
Career highlights and awards | |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Joshua "Josh" Smith (born December 5, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Entering the NBA straight out of high school, Smith played nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks before playing for the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers between 2013 and 2016. He is sometimes referred to by his nickname "J-Smoove".
Smith attended John McEachern High in Powder Springs, Georgia. During the summer before his senior year, he played alongside future NBA players Randolph Morris and Dwight Howard on the Atlanta Celtics AAU team. Smith transferred to Oak Hill Academy for his senior year where he was teammates with Rajon Rondo. He averaged 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 blocks, and 3 steals per game on the season, helping lead Oak Hill to 38-0 record. Smith was highly recruited as Rivals.com rated him the third best overall player in the nation and the number one small forward. Smith committed to play for Indiana University but he decided to forgo college and enter the NBA draft.
Smith was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 17th overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft. He won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest his rookie year during the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend. He became only the fifth player to record three perfect scores in the same contest along with Jason Richardson, Vince Carter, Spud Webb, and Michael Jordan. Smith averaged 9.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.95 blocks per game for the 2004–05 season and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.