Javonte Smart

Javonte Smart
Born	(1999-06-03) June 3, 1999 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2018–present
Known for	Playing for Osceola Magic in the NBA G League

Javonte Dedrick Smart (born June 3, 1999) is a professional American basketball athlete currently playing for the Osceola Magic in the NBA G League. He competed at the collegiate level with the LSU Tigers.

High school career

Smart attended Scotlandville Magnet High School located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he led his team to a state championship during his freshman year and received MVP recognition. In his sophomore season, he averaged 22.4 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.9 rebounds per contest while participating in the 2016 Under Armour Elite 24 Showcase. His junior year statistics included averages of 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 2.1 steals per game; he was honored as Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and guided Scotlandville to a second state title in 2017. As a senior, Smart posted averages of 32.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game, occasionally filling in at center, leading to a third state championship and another Player of the Year accolade. Rated as a five-star recruit and ranked 21st nationally by 247Sports, he committed to LSU over offers from Kentucky and UCLA.

College career

On February 23, 2019, Smart achieved a personal best by scoring 29 points and made two crucial free throws with just 0.6 seconds remaining to secure an 82–80 victory over the Tennessee team. During his freshman year, he missed one game—the regular season finale against Vanderbilt on March 7—due to allegations that coach Will Wade had paid him during recruitment; however, after investigations cleared any wrongdoing, Smart returned for both the SEC and NCAA tournaments. He averaged 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game as a freshman. Following that season, he declared for the 2019 NBA draft but ultimately chose to return to LSU.

In his sophomore campaign, Smart averaged 12.5 points, 4.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. He declared for the 2020 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility but later withdrew his name to continue playing at LSU. During his junior year, he posted averages of 16 points, 3.7 rebounds, four assists, and 1.3 steals per contest and earned Second Team All-SEC honors before declaring for the 2021 NBA draft and hiring an agent.

Sioux Falls Skyforce / Milwaukee Bucks / Wisconsin Herd (2021–2022)

After not being selected in the 2021 NBA draft, Smart joined the Miami Heat roster for the 2021 NBA Summer League and signed with them on September 10, 2021. He was waived prior to the start of the regular season and subsequently joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce as an affiliate player.

On November 30, 2021, Smart inked a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, dividing his time between the Bucks and their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. He was released from this contract on January 13, 2022.

Miami Heat / Return to Sioux Falls (2022)

Smart rejoined the Sioux Falls Skyforce on January 16, 2022.

He secured a two-way contract with the Miami Heat on February 15, 2022; that same day he tallied an impressive 40 points in a victory over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The Heat waived him on July 16, 2022.

Birmingham Squadron (2022–2023)

Smart secured a spot on the Birmingham Squadron's roster for their inaugural game on November 4, 2022.

Philadelphia 76ers / Delaware Blue Coats (2023–2024)

In July 2023, Smart participated with the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2023 NBA Summer League and officially signed with the team on August 13. The 76ers transitioned him to a two-way contract on October 21 but released him on December 23. Shortly after, on December 27, he joined the Delaware Blue Coats.

Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (2024)

Smart inked a deal with Serbian powerhouse Crvena zvezda Meridianbet on January 14, 2024, joining one of Europe's leading basketball clubs.

Osceola Magic (2024–2025)

On September 20, 2024, Smart agreed to terms with the Orlando Magic, though he was waived less than a month later on October 12. Subsequently, he became a member of the Osceola Magic starting October 27. The following year, on October 13, 2025, Smart signed a training camp contract with Orlando but was released before the season opener on October 18.

National team career

Twice representing the United States in international competition under FIBA, Smart contributed to the gold medal victory at the 2015 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship, posting averages of 6.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.9 steals per contest. He followed this with another gold medal performance at the 2016 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Zaragoza, Spain, where he averaged 5.4 points, 3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.

NBA

|- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| | style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee | 13 || 1 || 12.3 || .256 || .222 || .833 || 1.5 || 1.1 || .3 || .2 || 2.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 4 || 0 || 10.0 || .471 || .444 || — || 1.3 || .5 || .5 || .3 || 5.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 1 || 0 || .7 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || 0.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 18 || 1 || 11.8 || .317 || .296 || .833 || 1.3 || .9 || .3 || .2 || 2.8

EuroLeague

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24 | style="text-align:left;"| Crvena zvezda Meridianbet | 12 || 3 || 17.5 || .365 || .174 || 1.000 || 2.0 || 1.3 || .3 || .2 || 7.2 || 4.8 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 12 || 3 || 17.5 || .365 || .174 || 1.000 || 2.0 || 1.3 || .3 || .2 || 7.2 || 4.8

Domestic leagues

Year	Team	League
2021–22	Sioux Falls Skyforce	NBA G League	25	36.8	.419	.320	.754	4.6	3.6	1.9	.3	21.1
2022–23 NBA G League season	Birmingham Squadron	NBA G League	32	29.1	.427	.360	.939	2.8	3.1	.9		13.6
2023–24 NBA G League season	Delaware Blue Coats	NBA G League	6	34.2	.500	.333	.818	2.5	4.7	.7	.3	18.5
2023–24 ABA League First Division	KK Crvena zvezda	ABA League	10	20.5	.488	.347	.600	2.5	1.3	.5		11.0 College
2018–19	LSU	34	18	29.9	.368	.311	.839	3.3	2.4	1.3	.1	11.1
2019–20	LSU	31	30	34.2	.415	.326	.814	3.5	4.2	1.1	.2	12.5
2020–21	LSU	28	28	35.6	.460	.402	.857	3.7	4.0	1.3	.1	16.0
Career		93	76	33.1	.414	.351	.836	3.5	3.4	1.2	.1	13.0 Personal life Javonte Smart is the son of Melinda Smart and Jerry Matthews and has two siblings, Desiree and Davyion. His cousin, Keith Smart, possesses experience both as an NBA player and coach. External links LSU Tigers bio USA Basketball bio