Phil Smith (basketball) facts for kids
Smith in 1975
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 22, 1952 San Francisco, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Died | July 29, 2002 (aged 50) Escondido, California |
| High school | George Washington (San Francisco, California) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | San Francisco (1971–1974) |
| NBA Draft | 1974 / Round: 2 / Pick: 29th overall |
| Selected by the Golden State Warriors | |
| Pro career | 1974–1983 |
| Career history | |
| 1974–1980 | Golden State Warriors |
| 1980–1982 | San Diego Clippers |
| 1982–1983 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 9,924 (15.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,978 (3.0 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,561 (3.9 apg) |
Philip Arnold Smith (born April 22, 1952 – died July 29, 2002) was an American professional basketball player. He played for 9 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Phil Smith was known for his amazing skills as a guard. He helped his team win an NBA championship.
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College Basketball Career
Phil Smith was a 6-foot-4-inch guard who became an All-American player at the University of San Francisco (USF). Even though he was a great player later, he wasn't highly recruited out of George Washington High School.
After finishing high school early, Phil joined his older brother at USF. He started taking night classes there. A coach named Bob Gaillard saw him playing basketball on campus. Coach Gaillard quickly recruited Phil for the freshman team. Back then, new students couldn't play on the main varsity team. On the freshman team, Phil averaged 16.7 points per game.
He then led the USF team in scoring for all three of his varsity seasons. He averaged 15.0, 18.7, and 20.7 points per game in those years. His overall college average was 18.1 points per game. He was also chosen for the all-West Coast Conference team every year.
The Dons team played in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament several times. They reached the "Elite Eight" in both the 1973 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and 1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. In both tournaments, they lost to the famous UCLA team coached by John Wooden.
Because of his great college performance, Phil was drafted by the Virginia Squires in the ABA draft in 1973. But he decided to stay in college. In his senior year, he was named to the All-American team. He scored 1,523 points in his college career, making him one of the top scorers in USF history.
On February 17, 2001, USF honored Phil Smith by retiring his number 20 jersey. This means no other player at USF will ever wear that number again. He is one of only five players to have their number retired by the university. In 2001, he was also named one of the Top-50 athletes in the West Coast Conference of all time.
Professional Basketball Career
After college, Phil Smith was chosen by the Golden State Warriors in the 1974 NBA draft. He was the 29th player picked overall. He played for the Warriors for six seasons.
In his first year, the 1975 season, he averaged 7.7 points per game. As a rookie, he helped the Golden State Warriors win their first NBA championship. This was a huge achievement for a new player!
The next year, Phil became a starter for the team. He played in all 82 games and averaged a career-high 20.0 points per game. He was chosen as an NBA All-Star twice, in 1976 and 1977. He was also named to the All-NBA second team in 1976 and the All-NBA defensive second team in 1976. This shows he was great at both scoring and defending.
Phil played for 9 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Besides the Warriors, he also played for the San Diego Clippers and the Seattle SuperSonics. By the end of his NBA career, he had scored 9,924 points in total, averaging 15.1 points per game.
Sadly, a serious injury to his Achilles tendon before the 1979–80 season affected his career.
Personal Life
Phil Smith was the third of nine children born to Ben and Thelma Smith in San Francisco. He was married to Angela for 27 years. They had five children: Alicia, Philip, Amber, Martin, and Peter. He also had 11 grandchildren.
Some of his children also played college basketball. Martin played for the California Golden Bears from 2002 to 2006. Peter played for his parents' old school, the University of San Francisco, before moving to Concordia University.
September 27 is known as Phil Smith Day in San Francisco, California. This special day was declared by former Mayor Willie Brown.
A scholarship fund was also created at the University of San Francisco in Phil Smith's name and in the name of Arthur Zief, Jr.
Phil Smith's Passing
Phil Smith passed away at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, California. He was 50 years old. He had been battling a serious illness for five years.
See also
In Spanish: Phil Smith para niños
