Josh Smith facts for kids
Smith with the Pistons in January 2014
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 5, 1985 College Park, Georgia, U.S. |
| High school | McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia) Oak Hill Academy< (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA Draft | 2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 17th overall |
| Selected by the Atlanta Hawks | |
| Pro career | 2004–2017 |
| Career history | |
| 2004–2013 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 2013–2014 | Detroit Pistons |
| 2014–2015 | Houston Rockets |
| 2015–2016 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2016 | Houston Rockets |
| 2016–2017 | Sichuan Blue Whales |
| 2017 | New Orleans Pelicans |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 12,996 (14.5 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 6,653 (7.4 rpg) |
| Blocks | 1,713 (1.9 bpg) |
Joshua Smith (born December 5, 1985) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He played for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Josh Smith joined the NBA right after high school. He played for the Atlanta Hawks for nine seasons. He also played for the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Clippers between 2013 and 2016. His last time playing in the NBA was in November 2017 with the New Orleans Pelicans. People sometimes call him by his nickname, "J-Smoove".
Contents
High School Basketball Journey
Josh Smith went to John McEachern High in Powder Springs, Georgia. Before his last year of high school, he played on an AAU team called the Atlanta Celtics. Future NBA stars Randolph Morris and Dwight Howard were also on that team.
For his senior year, Smith moved to Oak Hill Academy. There, he played with Rajon Rondo. He was amazing, averaging 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 blocks, and 3 steals per game. He helped Oak Hill Academy win all 38 of their games that season. Experts like Rivals.com thought he was the third best player in the country. Smith had planned to play for Indiana University. However, he decided to go straight to the NBA draft instead.
Professional Basketball Career
Playing for the Atlanta Hawks (2004–2013)
The Atlanta Hawks picked Josh Smith as the 17th player in the 2004 NBA draft. In his first year, he won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest during the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend. He was one of only five players to get three perfect scores in that contest. The others were Jason Richardson, Vince Carter, Spud Webb, and Michael Jordan.
During the 2004–05 season, Smith averaged 9.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.95 blocks per game. He was chosen for the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. On March 3, 2007, Smith reached 500 career blocks. This made him the youngest player in NBA history to do so. He finished the 2006–07 season with great averages: 16.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.9 blocks per game. On November 17, 2007, Smith scored his career-high of 38 points against the Milwaukee Bucks.
In the playoffs on April 28, 2008, Smith scored 28 points and had 7 blocks. This helped the Hawks beat the top-seeded Boston Celtics in Game 4. Even though the Hawks were the 8th seed, they pushed the Celtics to seven games. The Celtics later won the 2008 NBA Finals. After that season, on August 8, 2008, Smith signed a contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. But the Hawks quickly matched the offer, so he stayed.
On February 2, 2010, Smith became the youngest player (at 24 years old) to get 1,000 career blocked shots. This happened in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. At the end of that season, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
On March 31, 2012, Smith scored 34 points and grabbed 9 rebounds against the Chicago Bulls. In the playoffs that year, on April 29, Smith led the Hawks to a Game 1 win over the Boston Celtics. He had 22 points and 18 rebounds. However, the Hawks lost the next three games and the series 4–2.
Time with the Detroit Pistons (2013–2014)
On July 10, 2013, Smith signed with the Detroit Pistons. The deal was for four years and reportedly worth $54 million.
On December 13, 2013, Smith scored 31 points and had 7 rebounds. This was in an overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. On February 22, 2014, Smith scored 24 points in the first half. He finished with a season-high 32 points against the Dallas Mavericks. He ended his first season in Detroit averaging 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game.
On October 29, 2014, Smith scored 25 points and had 5 rebounds in the Pistons' first game of the season. On December 22, 2014, the Pistons released Smith from his contract. In 28 games during the 2014–15 season, Smith averaged 13.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. In his 105 games with the Pistons, he averaged 15.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
Playing for the Houston Rockets (2014–2015)
On December 26, 2014, Smith signed with the Houston Rockets. He played his first game that night. He scored 21 points, had 8 rebounds, and 3 assists in the Rockets' win over the Memphis Grizzlies. After this game, Smith started for a few games but struggled. The Rockets won only one of their next four games. After a big loss, Smith went back to playing off the bench. This helped him get more comfortable with the team.
During the 2015 NBA Playoffs, Smith had several impressive games. In Game 2 against the Dallas Mavericks, he tied his playoff career-high with 9 assists. Six of these were "alley-oops" to his childhood friend Dwight Howard. He helped the Rockets win that game. He later scored 23 and 20 points in Games 4 and 5, helping the Rockets win the series. In Game 6 of the conference semi-finals, he scored 19 points, with 14 in the fourth quarter. He led a comeback from 19 points down to force a Game 7, which the Rockets won. During these playoffs, Smith made a career-high 38% of his three-point shots.
Time with the Los Angeles Clippers (2015–2016)
On July 16, 2015, Smith signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. He played his first game for the Clippers on October 28. He had 1 point, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a win against the Sacramento Kings.
Second Time with Houston (2016)
On January 22, 2016, Smith was traded back to the Houston Rockets. He played his return game that night. He had 2 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Two days later, he scored a season-high 16 points against the Dallas Mavericks. On February 2, he topped that by scoring 19 points as a starter against the Miami Heat.
Playing in China (2016–2017)
On November 8, 2016, Smith signed a three-month contract with the Sichuan Blue Whales in China. In his second game for Sichuan, on November 16, 2016, Smith had 41 points, 19 rebounds, and five blocks. He left the team in late January 2017. In 26 games, he averaged 18.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.0 blocks per game.
Short Stint with New Orleans (2017)
On September 28, 2017, Smith joined an Israeli team, Maccabi Haifa, for their U.S. tour. He hoped to play in the NBA again.
On October 28, 2017, Smith signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. The team had many injured players. He played in three games for the Pelicans before they released him on November 10, 2017.
Big3 League
In March 2019, Josh Smith signed to play in the Big3 league. This league features 3-on-3 basketball games.
NBA Career Records
Josh Smith holds some special records in NBA history:
- He is the youngest player to record 10 blocked shots in a game. This happened on December 18, 2004, when he was 19 years and 13 days old.
- He is the youngest player to reach 500 career blocked shots. He did this on March 3, 2007, at 21 years and 87 days old.
- He is the youngest player to reach 1,000 career blocked shots. He achieved this on February 2, 2010, at 24 years and 59 days old.
Personal Life
Josh Smith is one of five children. His parents are Pete and Paulette Smith. His father was also a professional basketball player in the 1970s. His mother ran for a political office in Georgia in 2022. Josh Smith married Alexandria Lopez on July 31, 2010. They have three children together: two sons and one daughter.
See also
In Spanish: Josh Smith para niños
- List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders
- List of National Basketball Association single-game blocks leaders
