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Ish Smith

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Ishmael Smith
Born (1988-07-05) July 5, 1988 (age 38)
United States
Occupation(s)Professional basketball player (former), NBA scout
Years active2010–2024 (player)
Known forPlaying for a record 13 NBA teams, NBA champion (2023)

Ishmael Larry Smith (born July 5, 1988) is a former American professional basketball athlete who currently serves as a professional scout for the Washington Wizards in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played collegiate basketball representing the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Smith is notable for having been rostered by a record 13 NBA teams throughout his career. He earned an NBA championship title with the Denver Nuggets in 2023.

High school career

During his time at Central Cabarrus High School, under the guidance of coach Scott Brewer, Smith averaged 24.8 points and 9.8 assists in his senior year. He propelled his team to an undefeated 28–0 season and secured MECA–6 Conference championships. His outstanding performance earned him the MECA–6 Player of the Year award in 2006, all-conference recognition, and Piedmont Player of the Year honors from The Charlotte Observer—awards he had also claimed as a junior.

Upon graduation, Rivals.com ranked him as the nation’s No. 28 point guard, while Scout.com placed him as the top point guard and second overall prospect nationally.

College career

Smith competed for Wake Forest, concluding his collegiate tenure second on the school's all-time assists list with 612 over 121 contests. His averages included 9.2 points, 5.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. Notably, he is the sole player in Wake Forest history to surpass both 1,000 points (1,114) and 600 assists.

In his final year, Smith posted averages of 13.2 points, 6.0 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.68 steals per game. His performance earned him Second-Team All-ACC and NABC Second-Team All-District accolades. Additionally, he was honored with the Murray Greason Award and led his team in assists while ranking third in the ACC and seventh across NCAA Division I for assists per game during the 2009–10 season.

Houston Rockets (2010–2011)

After going undrafted in the 2010 NBA draft, Smith signed a contract with the Houston Rockets on August 23, 2010. Between January and February 2011, he was assigned multiple times to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, before being recalled to Houston’s roster.

Memphis Grizzlies (2011)

Smith was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on February 24, 2011, alongside Shane Battier in exchange for Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll, and a future first-round draft pick. He contributed off the bench in 15 games for Memphis during that season’s remainder. The Grizzlies waived him on December 14, 2011.

Golden State Warriors (2011–2012)

Two days after being waived by Memphis, on December 16, 2011, Smith was claimed off waivers by the Golden State Warriors. On December 28, filling in for an injured Stephen Curry, he made a starting appearance against the New York Knicks, recording 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists in a victorious effort. The Warriors released him on January 13, 2012.

Orlando Magic (2012–2013)

Smith joined the Orlando Magic on February 2, 2012, later re-signing with them on August 15 of that year.

Milwaukee Bucks (2013)

On February 21, 2013, Smith was part of a trade sending him along with JJ Redick and Gustavo Ayón to the Milwaukee Bucks, while Beno Udrih, Doron Lamb, and Tobias Harris were sent to Orlando in return.

Phoenix Suns (2013–2014)

On August 29, 2013, Smith and Viacheslav Kravtsov were traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Caron Butler. During his third appearance with the Suns, Smith achieved a personal best of 8 assists in a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. He replicated this assist figure on January 4, 2014, contributing to a win against the Milwaukee Bucks. Smith became one of just three Suns bench players since the 1980s to record two games with 8 assists in under 20 minutes within a single season. On February 21, 2014, he posted a then-career-high of 15 points during a triumph over the San Antonio Spurs. The Suns released him on July 15, 2014.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2014–2015)

Smith signed with the Houston Rockets on July 19, 2014, but was waived on October 27 after participating in seven preseason contests. Subsequently, on November 7, 2014, he joined the Oklahoma City Thunder through an NBA hardship exemption intended to cover for team injuries. Following the expiration of this exemption, Smith secured his spot on the roster after Sebastian Telfair was released.

Philadelphia 76ers (2015)

On February 19, 2015, Smith was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans along with certain rights and draft assets but was waived on the same day. He signed with the Philadelphia 76ers three days later. Smith made an immediate impact by setting career highs with 19 points and 9 assists on March 2 and subsequently scoring 23 points in two separate games. The acquisition of Smith as starting point guard notably enhanced the 76ers’ offense; teammate Nerlens Noel described him as "the first true point guard I've ever really played with." He completed the 2014–15 season averaging career-best figures of 12.0 points and 6.1 assists across 27.1 minutes per game.

New Orleans Pelicans (2015)

Smith signed with the Washington Wizards on September 25, 2015, but was waived on October 24 after appearing in five preseason matchups.

Just two days later, on October 26, Smith was claimed off waivers by the New Orleans Pelicans and debuted the following day. In his season opener against defending champions Golden State Warriors, he logged 38 minutes off the bench and recorded 17 points alongside 9 assists. On November 6, he tallied 8 points and set a then-career-high with 11 assists in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Four days afterward, Smith achieved his first career double-double by scoring 17 points and dishing out a career-best 12 assists during a 120–105 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, marking New Orleans’ first win of that season. He surpassed this assist total again on November 20 with a performance of 17 points and a career-high 13 assists in a 104–90 win against the San Antonio Spurs.

Return to Philadelphia (2015–2016)

On December 24, 2015, Smith was traded back to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for two future second-round draft selections. In his return debut, he contributed 14 points to help secure Philadelphia’s second victory of the season with a 111–104 win over the Phoenix Suns. On January 9, 2016, Smith reached a new career scoring high of 28 points during a loss to the Toronto Raptors, including an impressive tally of 18 out of the team’s total of 25 third-quarter points. On January 18, he recorded totals of 16 points and set a career-high with 16 assists in a double-overtime defeat against the New York Knicks.

Detroit Pistons (2016–2019)

Smith joined the Detroit Pistons on July 8, 2016, marking the tenth NBA franchise he played for within seven seasons. On February 23, 2017, he recorded 15 assists coming off the bench during a 114–108 overtime triumph over the Charlotte Hornets, becoming the first Detroit reserve to achieve this since Kevin Porter in 1977. On February 3, 2018, Smith tallied 25 points in a 111–107 win against the Miami Heat, shooting an efficient 11 of 14 from the field and approaching his personal scoring best. Later, on October 20, 2018, he scored all 15 of his points in the second half—including the decisive basket—in a narrow 118–116 victory over the Chicago Bulls. After sidelining for 19 games due to a torn adductor muscle, Smith made his return on January 14, 2019, facing the Utah Jazz, but unfortunately re-injured the muscle three games afterward.

Washington Wizards (2019–2021)

Smith signed with the Washington Wizards on July 9, 2019, making his debut on October 23, 2019, where he contributed seven points. This engagement marked his eleventh NBA team over eight seasons.

Charlotte Hornets (2021–2022)

On August 7, 2021, Smith returned to his hometown by signing with the Charlotte Hornets, equaling the NBA record by joining his twelfth franchise. He became one of only six players—including Joe Smith, Chucky Brown, Jim Jackson, Kevin Ollie, and Tony Massenburg—to have played for twelve different NBA teams.

Return to Washington (2022)

Smith was traded back to the Wizards on February 10, 2022, along with Vernon Carey Jr. in exchange for Montrezl Harrell, marking his second tenure with Washington.

Denver Nuggets (2022–2023)

On July 6, 2022, Smith was involved in a trade alongside Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Denver Nuggets in return for Monté Morris and Will Barton. His debut on October 19, 2022, represented his thirteenth NBA team, surpassing the previous record of twelve. Smith played a role in helping the Nuggets secure victory in the 2023 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.

Return to Charlotte (2023–2024)

Smith rejoined the Charlotte Hornets by signing on October 24, 2023. However, he was waived by the team on February 8, 2024.

Post-playing career

Smith announced his retirement on October 2, 2024, transitioning into a professional scouting role with the Washington Wizards.

Regular season

|- | rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 28 || 3 || 11.8 || .386 || .375 || .700 || 1.5 || 2.3 || .5 || .1 || 3.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Memphis | 15 || 0 || 7.5 || .344 || .000 || .455 || .3 || 1.0 || .3 || .0 || 4.5 |- | rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Golden State | 6 || 1 || 10.5 || .400 || .400 || .500 || 1.5 || 1.5 || .7 || .0 || 5.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 20 || 0 || 8.6 || .373 || .250 || .750 || 1.3 || 1.6 || .6 || .1 || 2.6 |- | rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 36 || 3 || 10.5 || .336 || .235 || .429 || 1.3 || 1.6 || .4 || .2 || 7.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee | 16 || 0 || 8.6 || .395 || .400 || – || .9 || 1.9 || .5 || .2 || 2.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix |70||1||14.4||.423||.043||.564||1.8||2.6||.7||.2||3.7 |- | rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Oklahoma City |30||0||5.2||.333||.200||.667||.9||.9||.1||.0||1.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia |25||14||27.1||.398||.309||.583||2.9||6.1|||1.3||.2||12.0 |- 

| style="text-align:left;" | New Orleans
|27||3||22.9||.430||.303|||.767||3.4||5.7||.9||.2||8.9

|- 

| style="text-align:left;" | Philadelphia 
|50|||50|||32.4|||.405|||.336|||.669|||4.3|||7.0|||1.3|||.4|||14.7

|- 

| style="text-align:left;" |  
| style="text-align:left;" | Detroit 
|81|||32|||24.1|||.439|||.267|||.706|||2.9|||5.2|||0.8|||0..4|||9..4

|- 

| style="text-align:left;" |  
| style="text-align:left;" | Detroit 
|style="background:#cfecec;" | 82*|||35|||24..9|||486|||347|||698|||27|||44|||08|||02|||109

|- 

| style="text-align:left;" |  
| style="text-align:left;" | Detroit 
|56|||0|||22..3||||419||||326||||758||||26||||36||||05||||02||||89

|- 

| style="text-align:left;" |  
| style="text-align:left;" | Washington 
|68|||23|||26..3||||447||||367||||721||||32||||49||||09||||04||||109

|- 

| style="text-align:left;" |  
| style="text-align:left;" | Washington 
|44|||1|||21..0||||434||||367||||576||||34||||39||||07||||03||||67

|- 

| rowspan=2 style="text-align:left" |  
|- 
  style="text-align:left"|
  2021–22 Charlotte Hornets season  
  Charlotte  
  37  
  1  
  13..8  
  .395  
  .400  
  .632  
  1..5  
  2..6  
  .5  
  .3  
  4..5  
|- 
  style="text-align:left"|
  2021–22 Washington Wizards season  
  Washington  
  28  
  0  
  22..0  
  .457  
  .357  
  .600  
  3..0  
  5..2  
  1..0  
  0..5  
  8..6  
|- 
  style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba"|
   †   
   Denver Nuggets   
   Denver   
   43   
   0   
   9..3   
   .397   
   .167   
   .500   
   1..3   
   2..3   
   .2   
   .2   
   2..5   
|- 
  style="text-align:left"|
      
   Charlotte Hornets    
   Charlotte    
   43    
   5    
   17..2    
   .418    
   0..500    
   .750    
   1..8    
   3..4    
   .4    
   .1    
   3..2    
|- class="sortbottom" 
    style="text-align:center" colspan="2"| Career     
    !805 !172 !19..2 !429 !325 !676 !24 !38 !07 !02 !71

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2011 | style="text-align:left;"| Memphis | 5 || 0 || 2.0 || .667 || || || .4 || .4 || .2 || .0 || .8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2012 | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 1 || 0 || 5.0 || || || || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 1.0 || .0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2013 | style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee | 4 || 0 || 2.8 || .000 || || || .3 || .8 || .0 || .0 || .0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2019 | style="text-align:left;"| Detroit | 4 || 0 || 20.3 || .263 || .143 || .750 || 2.8 || 3.5 || .8 || .3 || 6.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2021 | style="text-align:left;"| Washington | 5 || 0 || 22.2 || .372 || .286 || || 3.2 || 2.8 || 1.4 || .4 || 6.8 |- | style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|2023† | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 4 || 0 || 2.9 || .500 || || || .3 || .3 || .0 || .0 || .5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 23 || 0 || 10.0 || .333 || .214 || .750 || 1.4 || 1.5|| .5|| .2|| 2.8


College

|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;" | Wake Forest | 31||30||29.9||.429||.354||.462||3.8||6.0||1.2||.0||8.7 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;" | Wake Forest |30||30||32.1||.426||.338||.291||3.4||4.7||1.3||.1||8.6 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;" | Wake Forest |29||0||22.0|| .430||.241||.789||2.7||3.4||.9||.0||6.2 |- 

|style="text-align:left;" |2009–10 
|style="text-align:left;" |Wake Forest 
|31||31||36.8||.420||.222||.494|||4.9|||6.0|||1.7|||'.6'|||'13.2' 
|- class="sortbottom" 
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career 
|121|||91|||30.3|||'.425'||'.301'||'.484'||3.7|||5.1|||1.3|||'.2'||9.2


Personal life

Born to parents Gwen and Larry Smith, he has three siblings: two sisters and one brother.[1] Smith is a committed Christian who holds a degree in religion, regularly engaging in Bible reading and prayer during the national anthem before games.[2]

External links

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bio
  2. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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