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Josh Smith

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This article is about the basketball player in the NBA. For other people named Josh Smith, see Josh Smith (disambiguation).

Josh Smith
Smith with the Pistons in January 2014
Personal information
Born (1985-12-05) December 5, 1985 (age 38)
College Park, Georgia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolMcEachern
(Powder Springs, Georgia)
Oak Hill Academy
(Mouth of Wilson, Virginia)
NBA draft2004: 1st round, 17th overall pick
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Playing career2004–2017
PositionPower forward / small forward
Number5, 6
Career history
2004–2013Atlanta Hawks
2013–2014Detroit Pistons
2014–2015Houston Rockets
2015–2016Los Angeles Clippers
2016Houston Rockets
2016–2017Sichuan Blue Whales
2017New Orleans Pelicans
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points12,996 (14.5 ppg)
Rebounds6,653 (7.4 rpg)
Blocks1,713 (1.9 bpg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Joshua Smith (born December 5, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Entering the NBA straight out of high school, Smith played nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks for the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers between 2013 and 2016. His final stint in the NBA came in November 2017 with the New Orleans Pelicans. He is sometimes referred to by his nickname "J-Smoove".[1]

High school career

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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.[2][3] 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.[4] Smith was highly recruited as Rivals.com rated him the third best overall player in the nation and the number one small forward.[5] Smith committed to play for Indiana University but he decided to forgo college and enter the NBA draft.[4][6]

Professional career

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Atlanta Hawks (2004–2013)

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Smith with the Hawks in March 2012

Smith was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 17th overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft.[7] He won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest his rookie year during the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend.[8] 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.[9] 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.

On March 3, 2007, Smith broke the 500 career block mark, making him the youngest player to do so in NBA history.[10] He ended the 2006–07 season with averages of 16.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.9 blocks per game. On November 17, 2007, Smith scored a career-high 38 points on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks.[11]

On April 28, 2008, in Game 4 of their first round series, Smith set playoff career highs of 28 points and 7 blocks in a 97–92 upset victory over the top-seeded Boston Celtics.[12] Despite being the 8-seed, the Hawks would ultimately push the Celtics to seven games before losing the series, and the Celtics would go on to win the 2008 NBA Finals.[13] That offseason, on August 8, 2008, Smith signed an offer sheet with the Memphis Grizzlies, but the Hawks quickly matched the offer sheet.[14][15][16]

On February 2, 2010, in a 99–106 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Smith became the youngest player (at 24 years old) to record 1,000 career blocked shots.[17] At season's end, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the first time in his career.

On March 31, 2012, Smith scored 34 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in a 95–90 loss to the Chicago Bulls.[18] That postseason, on April 29, Smith led the Hawks to a Game 1 win over the Boston Celtics with 22 points and 18 rebounds.[19] However, the Hawks lost the following three games, eventually losing the series 4–2.[20]

Detroit Pistons (2013–2014)

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On July 10, 2013, Smith signed with the Detroit Pistons[21] on a reported four-year, $54 million deal.[22]

On December 13, 2013, Smith scored 31 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in an 111–109 overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[23] On February 22, 2014, Smith recorded a first half career high of 24 points as he went on to finish with a season high of 32 in a 102–113 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.[24] He finished his first season in Detroit with averages of 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game

On October 29, 2014, during Detroit's season opener, Smith scored what would be a season high 25 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in a 89–79 loss to the Denver Nuggets.[25] On December 22, 2014, Smith was waived by the Pistons. In 28 games during the 2014–15 season, Smith averaged 13.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, while shooting 39.1% from the field, 24.3% from three-point range and 46.8% from the free throw line. In 105 career games with the Pistons, Smith averaged 15.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.[26]

Houston Rockets (2014–2015)

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On December 26, 2014, Smith signed with the Houston Rockets[27] and went on to make his debut that night. In just under 32 minutes of action off the bench, he recorded 21 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in the Rockets' 117–111 overtime win over the Memphis Grizzlies.[28] Following that game, Smith was moved into the starting lineup but struggled as the Rockets won only one of their next four games. After a blowout loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, Smith was moved back to the bench in order to help him get more comfortable with the team.[29]

During the 2015 NBA Playoffs, Smith had multiple impressive games. In Game 2 of the first round against the Dallas Mavericks, Smith tied his playoff career-high of 9 assists, 6 of which were alley-oops to childhood friend and former AAU teammate Dwight Howard, as he helped lead the Rockets to victory. He later scored 23 and 20 points in Games 4 and 5, respectively, as the Rockets won the series in five games. In Game 6 of the conference semi-finals against the Los Angeles Clippers, he scored 19 points, 14 coming in the fourth quarter, as he led a comeback from 19 points down in an elimination game on the road to force, and eventually win, a decisive Game 7. During the playoffs, Smith made a career-high 38% of his three-point attempts.[30]

Los Angeles Clippers (2015–2016)

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On July 16, 2015, Smith signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers.[31][32] He made his debut for the Clippers in the team's season opener against the Sacramento Kings on October 28, recording 1 point, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks off the bench in a 111–104 win.[33]

Second stint with Houston (2016)

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On January 22, 2016, Smith was traded back to the Houston Rockets, along with the draft rights to Serhiy Lishchuk and cash considerations, in exchange for the draft rights to Maarty Leunen.[34] He made his return game for the Rockets later that night, recording 2 points (on 1-of-10 shooting), 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks in a 102–98 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.[35] Two days later, in his second game back for the Rockets, Smith scored a then season-high 16 points in a 115–104 win over the Dallas Mavericks.[36] He topped that mark on February 2, scoring 19 points as a starter in a 115–102 win over the Miami Heat.[37]

Sichuan Blue Whales (2016–2017)

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On November 8, 2016, Smith signed a three-month, $1.5+ million contract with the Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association.[38] In his second game for Sichuan on November 16, 2016, Smith recorded 41 points, 19 rebounds, five blocks in a loss to Guangdong Southern Tigers. In the game, he shot 7-of-18 from three-point range.[39] He left the team in late January 2017, and in 26 games, he averaged 18.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.0 blocks in 29.5 minutes per game while making only one start.[40]

New Orleans Pelicans (2017)

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On September 28, 2017, Smith joined the Israeli team Maccabi Haifa for their preseason U.S. tour, with the aim being to play in the NBA again.[41]

On October 28, 2017, Smith signed with the New Orleans Pelicans to help the team deal with numerous injuries. New Orleans had to use the NBA hardship exemption to sign him as he made their roster stand at 16, one over the allowed limited of 15.[42] He appeared in three games for the Pelicans before being waived on November 10, 2017.[43]

Big3

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In March 2019, Smith signed to play in the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league.[44][45]

NBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2004–05 Atlanta 74 59 27.7 .455 .174 .688 6.2 1.7 .8 1.9 9.7
2005–06 Atlanta 80 73 32.0 .425 .309 .719 6.6 2.4 .8 2.6 11.3
2006–07 Atlanta 72 72 36.8 .439 .250 .693 8.6 3.3 1.4 2.9 16.4
2007–08 Atlanta 81 81 35.5 .457 .253 .710 8.2 3.4 1.5 2.8 17.2
2008–09 Atlanta 69 69 35.1 .492 .299 .588 7.2 2.4 1.4 1.6 15.6
2009–10 Atlanta 81 81 35.4 .505 .000 .618 8.7 4.2 1.6 2.1 15.7
2010–11 Atlanta 77 77 34.4 .477 .331 .725 8.5 3.3 1.3 1.6 16.5
2011–12 Atlanta 66* 66* 35.3 .458 .257 .630 9.6 3.9 1.4 1.7 18.8
2012–13 Atlanta 76 76 35.3 .465 .303 .517 8.4 4.2 1.2 1.8 17.5
2013–14 Detroit 77 76 35.5 .419 .264 .532 6.8 3.3 1.4 1.4 16.4
2014–15 Detroit 28* 28 32.0 .391 .243 .468 7.2 4.7 1.3 1.7 13.1
Houston 55* 7 25.5 .438 .330 .521 6.0 2.6 .9 1.2 12.0
2015–16 L.A. Clippers 32 1 14.3 .383 .310 .595 3.9 1.3 .6 1.1 5.7
Houston 23 6 18.3 .343 .271 .480 2.9 2.1 .7 .6 6.6
2017–18 New Orleans 3 0 4.0 .250 .000 .000 1.3 .0 .0 .0 .7
Career 894 772 32.4 .452 .285 .632 7.4 3.1 1.2 1.9 14.5

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008 Atlanta 7 7 33.9 .398 .167 .841 6.4 2.9 1.7 2.9 15.7
2009 Atlanta 11 11 37.3 .421 .133 .732 7.5 2.2 1.1 1.5 17.1
2010 Atlanta 11 11 35.6 .481 .333 .659 9.0 2.6 1.2 1.7 14.1
2011 Atlanta 12 12 36.5 .404 .125 .597 8.5 2.9 1.1 2.1 15.1
2012 Atlanta 5 5 39.2 .386 .000 .762 13.6 4.8 .6 1.0 16.8
2013 Atlanta 6 6 33.2 .433 .250 .528 7.5 3.5 1.8 .5 17.0
2015 Houston 17 8 23.3 .438 .380 .432 5.6 2.7 .5 1.0 13.5
2016 Houston 4 0 9.5 .462 .500 .000 .5 1.0 .3 .3 4.0
Career 73 60 31.6 .426 .277 .627 7.4 2.8 1.0 1.5 14.6

NBA records

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Youngest player in NBA history to record:

  • 10 blocked shots in a game, Atlanta Hawks at Dallas Mavericks, December 18, 2004 (19 years, 13 days)
  • 500 career blocked shots, Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks, March 3, 2007 (21 years, 88 days) (206 games)
  • 1,000 career blocked shots, Atlanta Hawks at Oklahoma City Thunder, February 2, 2010 (24 years, 59 days) (423 games)
  • One of three players in NBA history to notch 30 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals and block 3 shots (Atlanta at Phoenix, February 15, 2012)
  • The other players are Charles Barkley (Philadelphia at Cleveland, January 23, 1990) and LeBron James (Cleveland vs. Charlotte, January 11, 2008).

Personal life

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Smith is one of five children born to Pete and Paulette Smith. His father was a professional basketball player during the 1970s and played in the American Basketball Association (ABA).[46] His mother ran in the 2022 Republican primary for Georgia's 6th congressional district.[47] He married Alexandria Lopez on July 31, 2010. The couple have three children (two sons and one daughter).[48]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Atlanta Hawks' Josh Smith Has a New Nickname… [VIDEO]". straightfromthea.com. October 26, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  2. ^ "Josh Smith/Randolph Morris Feature Story". NBA.com. November 4, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  3. ^ Givony, Jonathan (May 29, 2004). "Interview: Josh Smith". DraftExpress.com. Retrieved May 29, 2004.
  4. ^ a b "Oak Hill's Josh Smith jilts IU for NBA". USAToday.com. April 20, 2004. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2004.
  5. ^ "Joshua Smith – Yahoo! Sports". Yahoo.com. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  6. ^ Paulen, David (April 1, 2004). "Top recruit all but says goodbye to IU basketball". IDSNews.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2004.
  7. ^ "NBA Draft history: 2004 Draft". NBA.com. February 27, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  8. ^ "Smith pays homage to Wilkins in victory". The Spokesman-Review. Denver. February 20, 2005. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  9. ^ "JOSH SMITH WINS SPRITE RISING STARS SLAM DUNK TITLE". NBA.com. February 19, 2005. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  10. ^ "Marbury, Francis take control as Knicks knock down Hawks". ESPN. March 3, 2007. Archived from the original on March 6, 2007. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  11. ^ "Bogut, Redd score 21 each; Milwaukee extends Atlanta's road woes". ESPN. November 17, 2007. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  12. ^ "Celtics vs. Hawks - Game Recap - April 28, 2008 - ESPN". Archived from the original on February 8, 2022.
  13. ^ basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2008-nba-eastern-conference-first-round-hawks-vs-celtics.html
  14. ^ "Josh Smith Signed to an Offer Sheet by the Memphis Grizzlies". bleacherreport.com. August 8, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  15. ^ "Hawks match Grizzlies' $58M offer sheet, retain Smith". ESPN. August 11, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  16. ^ Kent, Austin (August 17, 2008). "Never Send a Human to do a Machine's Job". TheGoodPoint.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
  17. ^ "Josh Smith - Youngest Player to 1000 Blocks". NBA.com. February 2, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  18. ^ "Hawks vs. 76ers - Game Recap - March 31, 2012 - ESPN". Archived from the original on February 8, 2022.
  19. ^ "2012 NBA Eastern Conference First Round Game 1: Celtics vs Hawks, April 29, 2012".
  20. ^ "2012 NBA Eastern Conference First Round - Celtics vs. Hawks".
  21. ^ "Detroit Pistons Sign Free Agent Forward Josh Smith". NBA.com. July 10, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  22. ^ "Josh Smith inks $54M, 4-year deal". ESPN. July 11, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  23. ^ "Portland Trail Blazers at Detroit Pistons Box Score, December 15, 2013". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  24. ^ "Notebook: Mavericks 113, Pistons 102". NBA.com. February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  25. ^ Brunskowski, Jason (October 30, 2014). "Pistons start 2014-15 with familiar loss". Detroit Bad Boys. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  26. ^ "Pistons waive forward Josh Smith". NBA.com. December 22, 2014. Archived from the original on February 16, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  27. ^ "Free Agent Josh Smith Joins Houston Rockets". NBA.com. December 26, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  28. ^ "Rockets top Grizzlies in overtime in Smith's debut". NBA.com. December 27, 2014. Archived from the original on December 26, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  29. ^ Feigen, Jonathan (January 8, 2015). "Kevin McHale says recent role of Josh Smith related to 'getting him comfortable'". Chron.com. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  30. ^ "Josh Smith 2014-15 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  31. ^ "LA CLIPPERS SIGN JOSH SMITH". NBA.com. July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  32. ^ "Josh Smith to play for Los Angeles Clippers". ESPN. July 17, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  33. ^ "Griffin leads Clippers past Kings 111-104 in opener". NBA.com. October 28, 2015. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  34. ^ "Rockets Acquire Forward Josh Smith". NBA.com. January 22, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  35. ^ "Smith's return helps Rockets to 102-98 win over Bucks". NBA.com. January 22, 2016. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  36. ^ "Harden's triple-double leads Rockets over Mavericks 115-104". NBA.com. January 24, 2016. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  37. ^ "Harden's 26 points lead Rockets over Heat 115-102". NBA.com. February 2, 2016. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  38. ^ "Josh Smith signs in China with Sichuan Whales". Sportando.com. November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  39. ^ "Josh Smith takes 18 three-point shots in a game in China because YOLO". HoopsHype.com. November 16, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  40. ^ "Josh Smith". cbadata.sports.sohu.com. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  41. ^ "Josh Smith joining Maccabi Haifa for exhibition games vs. Jazz, Pacers and Blazers". Sportando.com. September 28, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  42. ^ "Pelicans Sign Josh Smith". NBA.com. October 28, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  43. ^ "Pelicans waive Josh Smith". NBA.com. November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  44. ^ Orense, Ralph (March 14, 2019). "Josh Smith the latest to join the BIG3". clutchpoints.com. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  45. ^ Newport, Kyle (May 2, 2019). "BIG3 Basketball League 2019 Draft Results and Full Team Rosters". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  46. ^ Abrams, Jonathan (May 6, 2015). "Josh Smith, From Deep". Grantland. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  47. ^ Garbus, Rachel (May 2, 2022). "Ahead of the primary election, a crowded field of Republicans in Georgia's 6th District try to distinguish themselves". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  48. ^ "Josh Smith Stats, Video, Bio, Profile". NBA.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2016.
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