Smith in 2015
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Personal information | |||||||||||||
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Born |
Queens, New York |
March 8, 1965 ||||||||||||
Nationality | American | ||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school |
Archbishop Molloy (Queens, New York) |
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College | North Carolina (1983–1987) | ||||||||||||
NBA draft | 1987 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall | ||||||||||||
Selected by the Sacramento Kings | |||||||||||||
Playing career | 1987–1997 | ||||||||||||
Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||
Number | 30, 31 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
1987–1990 | Sacramento Kings | ||||||||||||
1990 | Atlanta Hawks | ||||||||||||
1990–1996 | Houston Rockets | ||||||||||||
1996 | Detroit Pistons | ||||||||||||
1996–1997 | Orlando Magic | ||||||||||||
1997 | Denver Nuggets | ||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||
Points | 9,397 (12.8 ppg) | ||||||||||||
Rebounds | 1,454 (2.0 rpg) | ||||||||||||
Assists | 4,073 (5.5 apg) | ||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||
Medals
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Kenneth "Kenny" Smith (born March 8, 1965) is an American retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA from 1987 to 1997 as a member of the Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, and Denver Nuggets. Nicknamed "The Jet", Smith was an All-American at the University of North Carolina and a two-time NBA Champion with the Houston Rockets. Smith is currently a basketball analyst, and has won several Emmys for his work on Inside the NBA on TNT. He also works as an analyst for CBS/Turner during the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
Smith was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York and grew up in LeFrak City. He played some of his earliest basketball at New York's Riverside Church. Smith attended Archbishop Molloy High School, where he was coached by Jack Curran, the winningest high school coach in New York City and New York State history. Smith was named a McDonald's All-American in 1983, then played basketball at the University of North Carolina for Dean Smith. Smith credits former South Carolina State star Bobby Lewis with his development as a shooter and ballhandler. Lewis averaged 30.9 points per game and was a First Team Division II All-American as a senior at South Carolina State. He later developed the Bobby Lewis Basketball Skills Development Program, a training regimen that he presented at basketball camps around the country. Smith attended several of his lectures while in high school, and continued to use Lewis's drills throughout his basketball career, and teaches them at his own basketball camps. Of Lewis, Smith said, "He's the best lecturer ever. He had the best influence in terms of my workout regimen without question."