Nolan Smith

Nolan Smith
Born	(1988-07-25) July 25, 1988 United States
Occupation(s)	Basketball player, coach
Years active	2007–2015 (player), 2016–present (coach)
Known for	Collegiate basketball at Duke University, NBA player for Portland Trail Blazers, head coach for Tennessee State

Nolan Derek Smith (born July 25, 1988) is a former American professional basketball athlete who currently serves as the head coach for Tennessee State. He played collegiate basketball at Duke University before being selected 21st overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. During his junior year, he was the starting shooting guard on Duke’s 2010 national championship squad. In his senior season, Smith earned consensus first-team All-American honors and was recognized as the ACC Player of the Year.

Early life

As a child, Smith often attended practices of the Washington Bullets after his father, former NBA player Derek Smith, joined the team as an assistant coach in 1994. Following his father’s passing in 1996, the Bullets regularly invited Nolan to attend their home games.

High school career

Smith began playing varsity basketball as an eighth grader at The Key School in Annapolis, Maryland. He then transferred to St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C. for his freshman year (2003–04), where he averaged 10.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 2.1 steals per game, earning third-team all-conference recognition.

For the 2004–05 season, Smith moved to Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, posting averages of 16 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and three steals per contest. He led Riverdale Baptist to a 33–1 record and received third-team All-Metro accolades.

During his junior and senior years, Smith attended Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, where he served as a two-year team captain alongside future NBA players such as Michael Beasley, Ty Lawson, and Brandon Jennings. In the 2005–06 season, he averaged 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals per game while guiding Oak Hill to a 40–1 record and a No. 2 national ranking by USA Today. That year he was named to EA Sports’ second-team All-America.

On November 13, 2006, Smith committed to play collegiate basketball at Duke University by signing a National Letter of Intent.

In his senior campaign (2006–07), Smith averaged 22.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 3.2 steals per game. He led Oak Hill to a 40–1 season—matching the school’s single-season wins record—and secured the No. 1 position in the final USA Today Super 25 national rankings. His performance earned him first-team EA Sports and Parade All-American distinctions. Additionally, he was named to the Les Schwab Invitational all-tournament team after leading Oak Hill to the championship title and received honors as a McDonald's All-American.

Ranked as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Smith was listed as the No. 8 shooting guard and No. 39 overall player nationally in the class of 2007.

Freshman year

During his freshman season at Duke in 2007–08, Smith appeared in all 34 games and started once. He averaged 5.9 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists over an average of 14.7 minutes per game. His first career start came against Cornell on January 6, 2008, where he scored nine points on efficient shooting (4-of-6). He recorded six games with double-digit scoring totals that season, including a personal best of 21 points versus Wake Forest on February 17.

Sophomore year

During the 2008–09 season, Smith appeared in 34 games, starting 21 of them, and averaged 8.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per contest. He was fourth on the team with 17 games scoring in double figures and achieved a season-best 16 points against Michigan on November 21.

Junior year

In the 2009–10 season, Smith started all 38 games he played after missing two due to suspension for participating in an unauthorized summer league. He posted averages of 17.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, leading Duke in field goals made. His performance earned him second-team All-ACC honors as well as USBWA All-District III and NABC Second Team All-District 2 accolades.

On March 28, 2010, Smith set a new career high by scoring 29 points in the Elite Eight victory over Baylor, which propelled Duke into the Final Four. Together with teammates Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler, he formed only the second trio in Duke history to each surpass 600 points in a single season.

Smith was selected to the NCAA All-Final Four team after guiding Duke to the NCAA championship, averaging 16 points and five assists in crucial wins against West Virginia and Butler.

Senior year

In the 2010–11 campaign, Smith started every one of Duke’s 37 games, averaging 20.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He was honored as ACC Player of the Year—making him the twelfth Duke athlete to receive this distinction—and led the conference in scoring. Additionally, Smith earned first-team All-ACC and ACC All-Defensive team selections alongside first-team All-District honors from both NABC and USBWA while steering Duke to a 32–5 record and securing a third straight ACC championship. He was also a finalist for prestigious national awards such as the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award.

Smith recorded a career-high of 34 points on February 9, 2011, during a home victory over No. 20 North Carolina.

As team captain with Kyle Singler, Smith was widely admired for his leadership qualities and steady presence under pressure. He became only the ninth player under coach Mike Krzyzewski to average more than 20 points per game throughout a season and ranked ninth in Duke’s single-season scoring list with a total of 764 points during the 2010–11 season.

College statistics

|- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Duke | 34 || 1 || 14.7 || .467 || .386 || .769 || 1.5 || 1.3 || .5 || .1 || 5.9 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Duke | 34 || 21 || 21.6 || .426 || .346 || .849 || 2.2 || 1.7 || .9 || .1 || 8.4 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Duke | 38 || 38 || 35.5 || .441 || .392 || .767 || 2.8 || 3.0 || 1.2 || .2 || 17.4 |- | align="left" | 2010–11 | align="left" | Duke | 37 || 37 || 34.0 || .458 || .350 || .813 || 4.5 || 5.1 || 1.2 || .1 || 20.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 143 || 98 || 26.9 || .448 || .368 || .800 || 2.8 || 2.8 || 1.0 || .1 || 13.4

Portland Trail Blazers (2011–2013)

Smith was chosen 21st overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers and inked his rookie contract on December 9, 2011. During his inaugural season, he took part in 44 games, starting in four, and posted averages of 3.8 points, 1.4 assists, and 1.3 rebounds across 12.3 minutes per contest.

In July 2012, Smith competed in the Trail Blazers' NBA Summer League but was forced to exit early due to a head injury caused by an elbow during a game, which ended his Summer League involvement despite receiving normal medical evaluations.

On January 6, 2013, Smith was sent to the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League. After delivering two impressive performances with averages of 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists at the D-League Showcase, he was recalled by Portland on January 9 and earned honorable mention recognition at the event. He wrapped up the season with Portland averaging 2.8 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists over 40 appearances.

Cedevita (2013–2014)

Smith participated in one game for the Boston Celtics during the 2013 NBA Summer League in July 2013, scoring four points.

On August 18, 2013, he signed a one-year contract with Cedevita Zagreb, competing in the Croatian League. Smith gained notable media attention after sinking a buzzer-beating three-pointer with just 0.6 seconds remaining in the semi-final of the ABA League Final Four. This shot secured Cedevita's qualification for the 2014–15 Euroleague and ended Serbian team Partizan's remarkable 14-year Euroleague appearance streak.

Galatasaray (2014)

During July 2014, Smith took part in the Oklahoma City Thunder's squad for the 2014 NBA Summer League, averaging 4.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists across five games.

He agreed to a one-year deal with Galatasaray Liv Hospital of the Turkish Basketball League on August 29, 2014. On October 19, during a league matchup against Banvit, Smith threw a towel while being substituted out of the game, prompting head coach Ergin Ataman to remove him from the arena. Smith issued an apology afterward and parted ways with Galatasaray on October 27, 2014.

Delaware 87ers (2014–2015)

Smith joined the Delaware 87ers of the NBA Development League on November 26, 2014. He was released by the team on January 15, 2015.

Coaching career

Following his playing days, Smith became part of the coaching staff for the Duke Blue Devils under head coach Mike Krzyzewski starting February 2016. He spent two years as a special assistant before serving three years as director of basketball operations & player development and was elevated to assistant coach in 2021.

Over six seasons at Duke, Smith contributed to a team record of 159–47 and a Final Four appearance in 2022. He played a key role in developing twenty-five NBA athletes, including first-round draft selections such as Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, Marvin Bagley III, and Paolo Banchero.

After the conclusion of the 2021–22 campaign, Smith accepted an assistant coaching position with the Louisville Cardinals, working under newly appointed head coach Kenny Payne, who shared ties with Smith’s father, Derek Smith. Louisville endured difficulties compiling a combined record of 12–52 over two seasons, resulting in dismissal of the entire coaching staff following the 2023–24 season.

In September 2024, Smith was appointed assistant coach at Memphis. By July 2025, he advanced to become head coach at Tennessee State, succeeding Penny Collins, who departed for an opportunity within the NBA.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 44 || 4 || 12.3 || .372 || .289 || .714 || 1.3 || 1.4 || .4 || .1 || 3.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 40 || 0 || 7.2 || .368 || .214 || .714 || .7 || .9 || .2 || .0 || 2.8 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Total | 84 || 4 || 9.9 || .371 || .260 || .714 || 1.0 || 1.2 || .3 || .0 || 3.3

Euroleague

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2014–15 | style="text-align:left;"| Galatasaray | 1 || 0 || 16.4 || .222 || .000 || 1.000 || 3.0 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 6.0 || -1.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Total | 1 || 0 || 16.4 || .222 || .000 || 1.000 || 3.0 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 6.0 || -1.0

Personal life

Smith is the son of Monica Smith and the late Derek Smith, who was a Louisville NCAA champion and competed in the NBA for nine seasons before passing away at age 34 due to a heart attack. He has one elder sister named Sydney Smith.

He has a tattoo featuring his father's portrait accompanied by the inscription "Forever Watching." Nolan grew up alongside NBA player Michael Beasley, with whom he maintains a friendship to this day. In 2021, Smith co-hosted the "Power Check Ball" podcast, which centers on sports and social justice issues, alongside Marc Isenberg.

In 2017, Smith married Cheyna Elliott, an alumna of UNC; the couple have two children, Camryn and Derek "Deuce."

During November 2020, Smith advocated for voter participation by urging those requiring help with absentee ballots to reach out to VoteRiders' support line.

See also

• 2009–10 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team
• List of second-generation NBA players

External links

• Nolan Smith at goduke.com
• Nolan Smith at euroleague.net
• Nolan Smith at nbadleague.com