Zhaire Smith

Zhaire Smith
Born	(1999-06-04) June 4, 1999 Garland, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2018–present
Known for	Playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, Texas Tech basketball

Zhaire Jahi-ihme Smith (born June 4, 1999) is an American professional basketball athlete currently playing for the Texas Legends in the NBA G League. He competed at the collegiate level with Texas Tech before being selected 16th overall in the NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns and subsequently traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.

High school career

Smith attended Lakeview Centennial High School, where he was coached by J. T. Locklear. During his senior year, he averaged 20.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per contest, earning the District 10-6A MVP title as well as recognition as the premier dunker in the Dallas area. Rated as a three-star recruit, Smith committed to Texas Tech, choosing them over offers from Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Memphis, Oregon, and Texas.

College career

In his freshman year at Texas Tech, Smith posted averages of 11.3 points and five rebounds per game. He received honorable mention honors in the Big 12 Conference and was named to the league’s All-Defensive team. Alongside teammate Keenan Evans, he played a key role in guiding Texas Tech to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to eventual champions Villanova. Smith achieved a career-high of 21 points with eight rebounds against Iowa State and nearly recorded a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists during a Round of 32 victory over Florida, highlighted by several impressive dunks.

Following the season, Smith declared for the 2018 NBA draft without initially hiring an agent. By late April, he signed with Roc Nation Sports, which ended his eligibility to continue playing college basketball.

Philadelphia 76ers (2018–2020)

On June 21, 2018, Smith was drafted sixteenth overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2018 NBA draft, but was immediately traded along with Miami Heat’s 2021 first-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Mikal Bridges. He officially signed with Philadelphia on July 2. Head coach Brett Brown likened Smith’s potential to that of Kawhi Leonard, intending to transform him from a collegiate power forward into a flexible wing player. Smith chose jersey number #2 as a tribute to Leonard.

On August 6, Smith suffered a foot fracture during a summer camp and underwent successful surgery for an acute Jones fracture on August 10. His recovery was further delayed in September due to complications from an allergic reaction to sesame. Despite concerns from general manager Elton Brand about his availability for the regular season, Smith made his debut with the Delaware Blue Coats in the NBA G League on March 1, 2019. Over 11 G-League appearances, he averaged 7.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.

Smith’s NBA debut came on March 25, 2019, when he scored three points in limited minutes during a defeat against the Orlando Magic. Throughout his rookie season with Philadelphia, he averaged 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists across six games (including two starts), featuring a standout performance of 17 points versus the Chicago Bulls. He participated in two games during the 2019 NBA Playoffs.

During his sophomore season, Smith experienced weight loss due to an allergic reaction and made adjustments to his shooting technique. Although he started with poor three-point shooting for the Blue Coats, his accuracy improved considerably by December. On February 27, 2020, he recorded 16 points and six rebounds in a contest against the Wisconsin Herd.

On November 23, 2020, Smith was traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Tony Bradley, but was released from the team one week later. He signed with the Memphis Grizzlies on December 15 but was waived shortly afterward on December 16.

In 2021, Smith joined the roster of the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League, although he did not appear in any games for them.

Cleveland Charge (2023–present)

In July 2023, Smith participated with the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2023 NBA Summer League before signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers on September 15, 2023. He was released on October 21 and, within a week, joined the Cleveland Charge in the NBA G League.

Smith inked a 10-day deal with the Cavaliers on February 11, 2024, although he did not play in any contests. He rejoined the Charge on February 23. On September 24, 2024, Smith signed again with the Cavaliers but was waived on October 19 and subsequently returned to the Cleveland Charge on October 26.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 6 || 2 || 18.5 || .412 || .375 || .750 || 2.2 || 1.7 || .3 || .3 || 6.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 7 || 0 || 4.6 || .273 || .000 || .500 || .3 || .3 || .4 || .0 || 1.1 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 13 || 2 || 11.0 || .378 || .316 || .667 || 1.2 || .9 || .4 || .2 || 3.7

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2019 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 2 || 0 || 2.5 || || || || .0 || .0 || .5 || .0 || .0 |- class"sortbottom" | style="text-align:center" colspan="2"| Career | 2 || 0 || 2.5 || || || || .0 || .0 || .5 || .0 || .0

College

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2017–18 | style="text-align:left;"|Texas Tech | 37 || 21 || 28.4 || .556 || .450 || .717 || 5.0 || 1.8 || 1.1 || 1.1 || 11.3

Personal life

Smith is allergic to peanuts and sesame seeds. His father, Billy, earned All-American honors in both basketball and football at Kansas State and worked as a multi-sport coach until he became a paraplegic in 2013.

External links

• Texas Tech Red Raiders bio