Greg Smith (basketball, born 1991) facts for kids
Smith during his tenure with the Rockets
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 8, 1991 Vallejo, California, U.S. |
| High school |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Fresno State (2009–2011) |
| NBA Draft | 2011 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 2011–2020 |
| Career history | |
| 2011 | Soles de Mexicali |
| 2011–2012 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| 2012–2014 | Houston Rockets |
| 2012–2013 | →Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| 2014–2015 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2016 | Raptors 905 |
| 2016 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2016 | İstanbul BŞB |
| 2017 | Blackwater Elite |
| 2017–2018 | Osaka Evessa |
| 2018 | Bank of Taiwan |
| 2019 | Vaqueros de Bayamón |
| 2019 | Blackwater Elite |
| 2019–2020 | Mineros de Zacatecas |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Gregory Stephen Smith, born on January 8, 1991, is an American who used to play professional basketball. He played college basketball for Fresno State. After that, he played in the NBA and for teams in other countries.
Contents
- High School Basketball Journey
- College Career at Fresno State
- Professional Basketball Career
- Starting in Mexico (2011)
- Time with Houston Rockets and Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2011–2014)
- Playing for Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks (2014–2015)
- Raptors 905 (2016)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (2016)
- İstanbul BŞB (2016)
- Blackwater Elite (2017)
- Osaka Evessa (2017–2018)
- Playing in Taiwan and Puerto Rico (2018–2019)
- Return to Blackwater Elite (2019)
- Mineros de Zacatecas (2019–2020)
- NBA Career Statistics (Simplified)
- Personal Life
- See also
High School Basketball Journey
Smith went to Edison High School in Fresno, California, from 2005 to 2008. In his junior year (2007–08), he was really good. He scored about 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds per game. He also had five assists and five blocks in each game.
In 2008, he moved to Westwind Preparatory Academy in Phoenix, Arizona. During his senior year (2008–09), he was named an All-Arizona State player. He was also considered for the McDonald's All-America Team. That year, he averaged 26 points, 14.4 rebounds, and six blocks per game. He also added four assists and three steals.
College Career at Fresno State
Freshman Year Success
When Smith started at Fresno State, he quickly made a name for himself. In his first year (2009–10), he was named the WAC Freshman of the Year. He also earned Freshman All-American honors from CollegeInsider.com. He played in 33 games, starting all of them. On average, he scored 11.5 points and grabbed 5.8 rebounds per game. He also had 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks.
Sophomore Season Highlights
In his second year, Smith continued to play well. He was named to the second-team All-WAC. He played in 31 games. In these games, he averaged 11.7 points and 8.1 rebounds. He also contributed 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.
In March 2011, Smith decided to enter the NBA draft. This meant he would not play his last two years of college basketball.
Professional Basketball Career
Starting in Mexico (2011)
After the 2011 NBA draft, Greg Smith was not chosen by any NBA team. Also, the NBA lockout was happening, which stopped players from signing with teams. So, in August 2011, Smith joined Soles de Mexicali. This team plays in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP) in Mexico.
In his very first professional game, Smith scored 18 points and got 9 rebounds. His team won the game 107–72. He played in 27 games for Soles. He left the team in late November when the NBA lockout ended.
Time with Houston Rockets and Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2011–2014)
On December 13, 2011, Smith signed with the Houston Rockets. However, the Rockets let him go on December 22, 2011, after he played in two preseason games. A few days later, on December 28, he joined the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. This team was connected to the Rockets.
On February 8, 2012, Smith signed a new deal with the Rockets. The next day, he was sent back to play for the Vipers. He was called back up to the Rockets on February 18. Then, he was sent back to the Vipers on March 21. He was called back to the Rockets again on April 8 after the Vipers' season ended. Because he played mostly for the Vipers in his first year, Smith was named to the All-NBA D-League first team. He also made the All-Rookie first team.
In July 2012, Smith played for the Rockets in the NBA Summer League. On February 10, 2013, he was sent to the Vipers again. Four days later, the Rockets called him back. On March 30, 2013, Smith started his first NBA game. He played for 30 minutes, scoring 9 points and getting 8 rebounds. The Rockets won 98–81 against the Los Angeles Clippers. He continued to start games for the rest of that season. He even started the first playoff game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But after a big loss, he went back to playing from the bench for game two.
In July 2013, Smith played for the Rockets again in the 2013 NBA Summer League. On November 14, 2013, he hurt his right knee during a game. This injury made him miss a month of playing. He returned on December 15. But a month later, he hurt his knee again and could not play for a long time. On April 10, 2014, the Rockets let him go.
Playing for Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks (2014–2015)
On April 14, 2014, Smith signed with the Chicago Bulls for the rest of the 2013–14 season. However, his knee injury from January was still bothering him. So, Smith did not play in any games for the Bulls that season. He missed the last two regular season games and all five playoff games.
On July 14, 2014, Smith was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He became a free agent in the summer of 2015.
Raptors 905 (2016)
On January 5, 2016, Smith joined Raptors 905. This team is part of the NBA Development League. He played his first game for them two days later. He scored 15 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, and had 6 assists. He started the game, but his team lost 102–98.
Minnesota Timberwolves (2016)
On March 2, 2016, Smith signed a 10-day contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played his first game for them that same night. He scored four points, got one rebound, and had one assist in 10 minutes. He signed a second 10-day contract on March 12. Then, on March 23, he signed a contract for the rest of the season. On June 30, 2016, the Timberwolves let him go.
İstanbul BŞB (2016)
On October 7, 2016, Smith signed with İstanbul BŞB. This team plays in the Turkish League. He played in seven games for İstanbul. He left the team in late November.
Blackwater Elite (2017)
On March 4, 2017, Smith signed with Blackwater Elite. He joined them as an import player for the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup. In his first game in the PBA, Smith scored 37 points. He also grabbed a career-high 30 rebounds. His team lost a close game 116-118 in double overtime. In 10 games, he averaged 27.7 points and 21.2 rebounds per game. He also had 5.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks.
Osaka Evessa (2017–2018)
On August 8, 2017, Smith signed with Osaka Evessa. This team plays in the Japanese B.League. He left the team in January 2018. In 20 games, he averaged 9.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Playing in Taiwan and Puerto Rico (2018–2019)
In October 2018, Smith signed with Bank of Taiwan. In 15 games, he averaged 14.3 points and 13.5 rebounds. He also had 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks. In January 2019, he signed with the Puerto Rican team Vaqueros de Bayamón.
Return to Blackwater Elite (2019)
On July 15, 2019, Smith signed with Blackwater Elite again. He returned to the team for the 2019 PBA Commissioner's Cup playoffs. In Game 2 of the playoffs, Smith scored 31 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. This helped his team force a deciding Game 3 against Rain or Shine.
Mineros de Zacatecas (2019–2020)
On July 12, 2019, Smith signed with the Mineros de Zacatecas. He played for them during the 2019–20 LNBP season.
NBA Career Statistics (Simplified)
Greg Smith played in the NBA for several seasons. Here's a look at his average stats:
- Games Played: 149
- Games Started: 12
- Minutes Per Game: 12.3
- Field Goal Percentage: 61.7% (meaning he made over 6 out of 10 shots)
- Rebounds Per Game: 3.3
- Assists Per Game: 0.3
- Steals Per Game: 0.2
- Blocks Per Game: 0.4
- Points Per Game: 4.0
In the NBA Playoffs, he played 6 games, starting 1 of them. He averaged 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
Personal Life
Greg Smith's mother is Cheryl Duckworth. He has an older sister named Ashely and a younger brother named Divante. His uncle, Steve Shelley, also played sports. Steve was a wide receiver for Fresno State in 1988–89. He later signed with the San Diego Chargers in 1990.
See also
In Spanish: Greg Smith (baloncestista de 1991) para niños
