Rik Smits
Smits in 2008
|
|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 23, 1966 Eindhoven, Netherlands |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Listed height | 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m) |
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Marist (1984–1988) |
| NBA draft | 1988 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall |
| Selected by the Indiana Pacers | |
| Playing career | 1988–2000 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 24, 45 |
| Career history | |
| 1988–2000 | Indiana Pacers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 12,871 (14.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 5,277 (6.1 rpg) |
| Blocks | 1,111 (1.3 bpg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Rik Smits, nicknamed The Dunking Dutchman (born August 23, 1966), is a retired Dutch professional basketball player who spent his entire professional career with the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association. The 7'4" (2.24 m) center was drafted by the Pacers out of Marist College with the second overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft. An NBA All-Star in 1998, Smits reached the NBA Finals in 2000.
Smits was born in Eindhoven. He started playing basketball at age fourteen at PSV/Almonte in Eindhoven. Smits left for the United States in 1984, where he played for Marist College for four years. He got drafted 2nd overall in the 1988 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers.
With the Pacers, Smits originally backed up Steve Stipanovich, but when Stipanovich suffered a career-ending injury, Smits ended up starting 71 games in his rookie year, averaging 11.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and earning All-Rookie First Team honors. Smits continued to average double-digit point totals in every year of his career, but it wasn't until the 1993–94 NBA season that Smits really came into his own as a team leader.
Throughout the Pacers' playoff runs in the mid and late 1990s, Smits was considered the number two player, behind Reggie Miller, on the deeply talented Pacers team. Smits' highest point-per-game average was in 1995–96 when he averaged 18.5 points per game, relatively modest by NBA "superstar" standards, but the Dutchman endeared himself to Pacers fans with outstanding playoff performances, most notably in Game 4 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals where he made a buzzer-beating shot to tie the series.
Smits was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team in 1998, delivering 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, including a spectacular behind-the-back pass to New Jersey Nets forward Jayson Williams who followed immediately with a slam dunk.
...
Wikipedia