Kenny Smith played in the NBA from 1987 to 1997 as a member of the Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, and Denver Nuggets.
31 Facts About Kenny Smith
2.
Kenny Smith played college basketball with the North Carolina Tar Heels, earning consensus first-team All-American honors as a senior in 1987.
3.
Kenny Smith was selected by Sacramento in the first round of the 1987 NBA draft with the sixth overall pick, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team with the Kings.
4.
Kenny Smith was born in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City and grew up in Queens, spending time in the LeFrak City neighborhood.
5.
Kenny Smith played some of his earliest basketball at New York's Riverside Church and at Stephen A Halsey Junior High School in Rego Park, Queens.
6.
Kenny Smith attended Archbishop Molloy High School, where he was coached by Jack Curran, the high school coach with the most wins in New York City and New York State history.
7.
Kenny Smith was named a McDonald's All-American in 1983, then played basketball at the University of North Carolina for Dean Kenny Smith.
8.
Kenny Smith later developed the Bobby Lewis Basketball Skills Development Program, a training regimen that he presented at basketball camps around the country.
9.
Kenny Smith attended several of his lectures while in high school, and continued to use Lewis's drills throughout his basketball career, to this day teaching them at his own basketball camps.
10.
Kenny Smith had the best influence in terms of my workout regimen without question.
11.
Kenny Smith averaged 9.1 points and 5.0 assists per game, and the Tar Heels lost to Indiana in the regional semifinals of the 1984 NCAA tournament.
12.
Kenny Smith led North Carolina to the Elite Eight in 1985, losing to eventual national champion Villanova.
13.
Kenny Smith was named a Consensus All-American as senior in 1987, averaging 16.9 points, 6.1 assists per game while helping North Carolina to return to the Elite Eight.
14.
Kenny Smith represented the United States in the 1986 FIBA World championship, on a team that included David Robinson, Muggsy Bogues and Steve Kerr.
15.
Kenny Smith was second on the team in scoring behind Charles Smith with 14.7 points per game.
16.
Kenny Smith was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team after averaging 13.8 points and 7.1 assists per game for the Kings.
17.
Kenny Smith finished 17th in voting for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, just ahead of teammate Hakeem Olajuwon.
18.
In 57 playoff games during the same period, Kenny Smith had nearly identical averages of 11.6 points and 4.3 assists, shooting.
19.
Kenny Smith's 7 three pointers in the first game of the 1995 NBA Finals was an NBA record at the time.
20.
Kenny Smith averaged 8.5 points and 3.6 assists per game, and shot.
21.
Kenny Smith played only nine games with the Pistons before he was waived.
22.
Kenny Smith signed with the Orlando Magic, who released Kenny Smith after only six games.
23.
Kenny Smith then signed with the Denver Nuggets, where he would finish his career as a player.
24.
Kenny Smith played sparingly for the playoff-bound Pistons and the Magic, but got the last meaningful playing time of his career with the Nuggets, a team that won only 21 games that season.
25.
Kenny Smith averaged 7.9 points and 3.1 assists while playing just under twenty minutes per game.
26.
Kenny Smith finished in the NBA top ten in three-point percentage three times, and top ten in free throw percentage twice.
27.
Kenny Smith joined Turner Sports in early 1998, working as a studio analyst for end of the NBA regular season and the playoffs.
28.
Kenny Smith covered basketball for the 2001 Goodwill Games, and he occasionally appears on NBA TV as an analyst.
29.
In October 2022, Kenny Smith signed a long-term contract extension with Warner Bros.
30.
Kenny Smith played Leon Rich in the movie Hustle, starring Adam Sandler and Juancho Hernangomez.
31.
Kenny Smith is step-father to Osborne's daughter from a previous marriage.