Dennis Smith Jr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dennis Smith Jr.

Smith with Real Madrid in 2025
Free agent
Point guard
Personal information
Born	(1997-11-25) November 25, 1997 (age 27) Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.
High school	Trinity Christian School (Fayetteville, North Carolina)
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
College	NC State (2016–2017)
NBA Draft	2017 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall
Selected by the Dallas Mavericks
Pro career	2017–present
Career history
2017–2019	Dallas Mavericks
2019–2021	New York Knicks
2021	Detroit Pistons
2021–2022	Portland Trail Blazers
2022–2023	Charlotte Hornets
2023–2024	Brooklyn Nets
2025	Real Madrid
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2018) ACC Rookie of the Year (2017) Second-team All-ACC (2017) ACC All-Freshman team (2017)

Dennis Cliff Smith Jr. (born November 25, 1997) is an American professional basketball player. He recently played for Real Madrid in Spain.

Dennis played college basketball for North Carolina State University. As a freshman, he was named ACC Freshman of the Year. He also earned second-team all-conference honors.

The Dallas Mavericks picked Smith ninth overall in the 2017 NBA draft. He played two seasons in Dallas. In January 2019, he was traded to the New York Knicks. Later, he joined the Detroit Pistons in February 2021. He then signed with the Portland Trail Blazers in September 2021. After an elbow injury, he was waived in February 2022. He then signed with the Charlotte Hornets in 2022. In July 2023, he joined the Brooklyn Nets. In January 2025, he signed with Real Madrid.

High School Basketball Journey

Dennis Smith Jr. went to Trinity Christian School in Fayetteville, North Carolina. In his first year, he averaged 9.2 points and 3.0 assists per game. He once scored 41 points in a game.

As a sophomore, Smith helped Trinity Christian win the 2014 NCISAA 1-A State Championship. He scored 21 points and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP). That season, he averaged 17.6 points, 9.3 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game. He also took part in special basketball camps like the NBPA Top 100 Camp and Adidas Nations.

In his junior year, Smith continued to shine. He scored 38 points in a close game against a team with future NBA players Jamal Murray and Thon Maker. He averaged 22.2 points, 7.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 3 steals. In 2015, he was named the Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year for North Carolina.

During the summer of 2015, Smith played for the AAU team, Team Loaded North Carolina. He led his team to win the Adidas Uprising Gauntlet Championship. He averaged 16.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 6.9 assists. Later that summer, he tore his ACL (a knee ligament) during an Adidas Nations event. Doctors found he had an extra ACL during surgery. Even after the injury, he felt more explosive and his vertical jump increased.

Smith was a top recruit, meaning many colleges wanted him. He was rated a five-star recruit and one of the best point guards in the 2016 high school class.

On September 10, 2015, Smith decided to play college basketball for North Carolina State University. He chose NC State over other big schools like Duke and Kentucky.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Dennis Smith Jr PG	Fayetteville, NC	Trinity Christian School (NC)	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Sep 10, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 10   Rivals: N/A  247Sports: 7  ESPN: N/A
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

College Basketball Highlights

In December 2015, Smith graduated early from high school. He enrolled at North Carolina State University in January 2016. This allowed him to start college early and recover from his knee injury with the NC State medical team.

Smith began his freshman season in 2016. In his first game, he had five assists. On November 21, 2016, he scored a career-high 24 points and had 8 assists. A few days later, he scored 30 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and had 7 assists. He earned ACC Freshman of the Week honors in December 2016.

On January 4, 2017, Smith achieved a "triple-double." This means he had double-digit numbers in three categories: 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. He was only the second NC State player to do this. On January 23, 2017, he scored a new career high of 32 points against the Duke Blue Devils. This was NC State's first win at Duke's home stadium since 1995.

Smith recorded his second triple-double on February 1, 2017. He had 13 points, 15 assists, and 11 rebounds. He is the only player in ACC history to have two triple-doubles against league opponents. He earned his second ACC Rookie of the Week award in February.

On March 5, 2017, Smith was named ACC Rookie of the Year. He was also named to the Second-team All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman teams. In his freshman season, Smith averaged 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.

After his successful freshman year, Smith decided to enter the 2017 NBA draft. He gave up his remaining three years of college eligibility.

Professional Basketball Journey

Dallas Mavericks (2017–2019)

The Dallas Mavericks picked Dennis Smith Jr. as the ninth overall player in the 2017 NBA draft. He signed his first professional contract on July 5, 2017. He played well in the NBA Summer League, earning All-Summer League first-team honors.

Smith made his NBA debut on October 18, 2017. He scored 16 points and had 10 assists. On December 29, 2017, he recorded his first NBA triple-double. He had 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. At 20 years old, he was one of the youngest players in NBA history to achieve this. In May 2018, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

On January 30, 2019, Smith had his second career triple-double. He scored 13 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and had a career-high 15 assists. This was in a game against the New York Knicks, the team he would soon join.

New York Knicks (2019–2021)

Smith with the New York Knicks in 2020

On January 31, 2019, Smith was traded to the New York Knicks. He made his Knicks debut on February 3, scoring eight points. In only his third game with the Knicks, he scored a career-high 31 points.

In December 2019, Smith scored a season-high 17 points. In February 2021, he was sent to the Westchester Knicks, a team in the NBA G League. He wanted more playing time. However, he did not play any games for them. He only played three NBA games for the Knicks during the 2020–21 season.

Detroit Pistons (2021)

On February 8, 2021, Smith was traded to the Detroit Pistons. He made his Pistons debut three days later. On February 26, he scored a season-high 17 points. On March 3, Smith recorded his third career triple-double. He had 10 points, 11 assists, and a career-high 12 rebounds.

Portland Trail Blazers (2021–2022)

On September 23, 2021, Smith signed with the Portland Trail Blazers. He made his debut with them on October 23. On December 4, Smith scored a season-high 21 points. In February 2022, he was diagnosed with an elbow injury. He was then waived by the Trail Blazers. He did not play for any team for the rest of that season.

Charlotte Hornets (2022–2023)

After being waived, Smith thought about trying to play for an NFL team. However, he was invited to the Charlotte Hornets' training camp.

On September 23, 2022, Smith signed with his hometown team, the Charlotte Hornets. He made his Hornets debut on October 19, scoring 12 points. On October 23, Smith scored 18 points and had six assists in a win.

Brooklyn Nets (2023–2024)

Smith with the Brooklyn Nets in 2024

On July 8, 2023, Smith signed with the Brooklyn Nets. He played for the Nets during the 2023-2024 season.

Real Madrid (2025)

On January 16, 2025, Dennis Smith Jr. signed with Real Madrid. This team plays in the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He played for Real Madrid for a short time. On February 18, 2025, Smith left Real Madrid.

Personal Life

On June 21, 2017, Smith signed a three-year deal with Under Armour to promote their products.

Smith is friends with rapper J. Cole, who is also from Fayetteville.

Dennis Smith Jr. was raised by his father, Dennis Smith Sr., and his Aunt Rhonda. He welcomed a son in 2022.

Career Statistics

NBA

College

See also

In Spanish: Dennis Smith Jr. para niños