Jabari Montsho Smith Jr. (born May 13, 2003) is an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player for the
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...
of the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...
(NBA). He played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
for the
Auburn Tigers
The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year coeducational university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associ ...
.
Born in
Fayetteville, Georgia
Fayetteville is a city in and the county seat of Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,957, up from 15,945 at the 2010 census. Fayetteville is located south of downtown Atlanta.
In 201 ...
, to former professional basketball player
Jabari Smith Sr., Smith began playing basketball at a young age under his father's mentorship. Smith attended
Sandy Creek High School, where in his senior year the team made a state championship appearance. In high school, Smith was named a
McDonald's All-American
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger s ...
and
Mr. Georgia Basketball. A five star prospect ranked the nation's number seven overall recruit, he committed to
Auburn University
Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest ...
to play
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
. As a freshman at Auburn, Smith helped
the team achieve their first ever
AP poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and br ...
number one ranking and an
SEC regular season championship. At the conclusion of his freshman year, Smith was named an
All-American, and won the
USBWA National Freshman of the Year Award. Following his freshman season, Smith would declare for the
2022 NBA draft
The 2022 NBA draft (branded as the 2022 NBA Draft presented by State Farm for sponsorship reasons), the 76th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The ...
and was selected by the Rockets with the third overall pick. He is also a distant cousin of NBA player
Kwame Brown
Kwame Hasani Brown (born March 10, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Selected by the Washington Wizards in the 2001 NBA draft, Brown was the first No. ...
.
Early life and high school career
Smith was born on May 13, 2003, in
Fayetteville, Georgia
Fayetteville is a city in and the county seat of Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,957, up from 15,945 at the 2010 census. Fayetteville is located south of downtown Atlanta.
In 201 ...
, to
Jabari Smith Sr. and Taneskia Purnell. His father played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at
LSU, and had a four year career in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...
(NBA) for the
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...
,
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...
and
New Jersey Nets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
, before playing overseas in Spain, Turkey, Iran and Puerto Rico.
Smith began playing
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
when he was five, and was trained by his father.
His father while in the NBA had noticed the arrival of tall
international players with strong shooting, and decided to mold Smith as a player that despite his tall height, would win with shooting rather than with size.
At the age of 15, Smith would join the Atlanta Celtics on the
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...
circuit, coached by the father of star Auburn point guard
Jared Harper
Jared Lamar Harper (born September 14, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for Valencia of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Auburn Tigers where he was the starting point guard on the T ...
.
Smith started playing
varsity basketball as a sophomore at
Sandy Creek High School in
Tyrone, Georgia
Tyrone is a town in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,879 at the 2010 census, up from 3,916 in 2000. The estimated population in 2018 was 7,388. It is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area.
History
The Georgia Genera ...
.
As a junior, he averaged 24.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game.
In his senior season, Smith averaged 24 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks per game, leading his team to a Class 3A state runner-up finish. He was named
Mr. Georgia Basketball, Georgia
Gatorade Player of the Year
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' cross country, boys' football, boys' ...
and ''
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...
'' All-Classification Player of the Year. Smith was selected to the rosters for the
McDonald's All-American Game
The McDonald's All-American Game is the all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the concl ...
,
Jordan Brand Classic
The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school All-Star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys in the senior class including alumns like Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Bl ...
and
Nike Hoop Summit
The Nike Hoop Summit is an international men's basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year since 1995, except from 2001–2003, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international ...
and finished as a runner up for
Mr. Basketball USA
Mr. Basketball USA, formerly known as the ''ESPN RISE'' National Player of the Year and EA SPORTS National Player of the Year, is an award presented to the United States boys' high school basketball national player of the year by Ballislife.com. ...
.
Recruiting
Smith was a consensus five-star
recruit and one of the top players in the 2021 class. On October 9, 2020, he announced his commitment to play college basketball for
Auburn University
Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest ...
over offers from
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
,
LSU,
Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
and
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
. Upon his commitment he became the highest ranked player to commit to Auburn in the modern recruiting era.
Smith has said that he committed to Auburn due to his fit within the teams play style under head coach
Bruce Pearl
Bruce Alan Pearl (born March 18, 1960) is an American college basketball coach, and the head coach of the Auburn Tigers men's basketball team. He previously served as the head coach at Tennessee, Milwaukee, and Southern Indiana. Pearl led Sout ...
, the school's relatively close proximity to his hometown and because the school could provide him a more traditional college experience than he would get elsewhere.
College career
Smith entered his freshman season with high expectations due to his recruiting ranking.
Smith emerged as a leader in preseason practice with coach Bruce Pearl describing him as "the hardest working player on the team."
He made his college debut against
Morehead State in a 77–54 victory for the Tigers. On January 11, 2022, on the road against fierce rival
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = " Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...
Smith scored a then career-high 25 points to help the Tiger's avoid an upset in an 81-77 victory. On February 16, 2022, Smith recorded a career-high 31 points on just 16 shots in an 94–80 victory over
Vanderbilt. As a freshman, he averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and two assists per game while helping lead the Tigers to an SEC regular season championship and the programs first ever #1 ranking in the
AP poll
The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and br ...
. In his
NCAA Tournament debut against
Jacksonville State, Smith recorded his 6th
double-double
In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...
of the season scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. In the second round of the tournament Smith would record another double-double but would also have his worst shooting performance of the season going 3-of-16 from the field as the #2 seeded Tigers were upset by #10 seeded
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
79-62, ending the Tigers season. At the conclusion of his freshman season, Smith was awarded many honors including being named the
USBWA Freshman of the Year, a member of the All-SEC first team and a second-team
All American, the Tigers first All American selection since
Chris Porter in 1999. On April 5, 2022, Smith declared for the
2022 NBA draft
The 2022 NBA draft (branded as the 2022 NBA Draft presented by State Farm for sponsorship reasons), the 76th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The ...
, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.
Smith was projected as a top-three selection in the
2022 NBA draft
The 2022 NBA draft (branded as the 2022 NBA Draft presented by State Farm for sponsorship reasons), the 76th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The ...
and the potential first pick.
Professional career
Houston Rockets (2022–present)
2022–23 season: Rookie season
Prior to the
2022 NBA draft
The 2022 NBA draft (branded as the 2022 NBA Draft presented by State Farm for sponsorship reasons), the 76th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The ...
, Smith was believed by many analysts and insiders to be the number one overall pick, with Smith even saying that he would be surprised not to be picked number one by the
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...
. However the Magic ended up selecting
Paolo Banchero
Paolo Napoleon James Banchero ( , ; born November 12, 2002) is an American-Italian professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. Banche ...
and Smith ending up being selected with third overall pick by the
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...
, making him the highest drafted player to ever come out of Auburn, surpassing
Chris Morris and
Chuck Person
Chuck Connors Person (born June 28, 1964) is an American former basketball player and coach. Person played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was the 1987 NBA Rookie of the Year. Person played college basketball at Aubu ...
whom were drafted 4th overall.
He made his
summer league debut with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal in a 91–77 loss against the
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...
. On October 2, 2022, Smith made his preseason debut, scoring 21 points with 5-of-8 shooting from three along with eight rebounds and two assists in a 134–96 win against the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...
. On October 19, Smith made his regular season debut, scoring 17 points along with seven rebounds and an assist in a 117–107 loss to the
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...
. On October 24, Smith recorded his first 20+ point game with free 21 points by shooting 6-to-10 from the field with nine rebounds in a 114–106 victory over the
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...
, the Rockets first victory of the season. On December 2, Smith scored 17 points with six rebounds, one steal, and one blocked shot in a 122–121 victory against the Phoenix Suns. He finished by shooting 7-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. The outing was the sixth straight game in which Smith made at least three 3-pointers, the second-longest streak in history by a rookie.
On December 23, He recorded his sixth double-double with 24 points by shooting 58.8% from the field and 3-of-8 from three with 10 rebounds in a loss against the
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...
.
On January 13, 2023, Smith scored a then career-high 27 points with three blocks and eight rebounds in a game loss against the
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...
. On March 9, Smith grabbed 12 rebounds and set a then career-high 30 points in a 134–125 overtime loss to the
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...
. On March 14, Smith scored 24 points by shooting 83.8 precent from the field with 5 threes made and 11 rebounds in a game win against the
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
. In doing so, he became the first player in Rockets franchise to average 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in three straight games since
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian Americans, Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Ass ...
in 1985. On March 17, Smith made a game-winning three-pointer in a 114–112 win over the
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...
. At the conclusion of his rookie season he was voted to the All-Rookie second team.
2023–24 season
On December 11, 2023, Smith scored a career high 34 points along with rebounds in a 134–127 loss to the
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...
.
Player profile
Standing at 6 feet and 11 inches (2.11 meters) with a 7-1 feet wingspan and weighing 220 pounds (100 kilograms), Smith predominately plays the
power forward
The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...
position. Smith's length makes him a versatile player on both offense and defense. He often utilizes
jab-steps to help create space for his
jump shot and has range out to the
three-point line, shooting 42% from three-point range in college. On defense, he is mobile on the perimeter and physical inside, making him a candidate to defend big men but also switch comfortably onto
guards. Smith was noted for his defensive instincts and quick hands, averaging a
block
Block or blocked may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting
* W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...
and a
steal per game in college. Many sources and scouts have compared his play making style to other big men such as
Rashard Lewis
Rashard Quovon Lewis (born August 8, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. Lewis entered the NBA directly from Alief Elsik High School. He rose to prominence in the NBA as a scorer with the Seattle SuperSonics, and was later ...
,
Chris Bosh
Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. A Texas Mr. Basketball in high school, he played one season of college basketball for Georgia Tech before declaring for the 2003 NBA draft. Bos ...
,
Michael Porter Jr.
Michael Lamar Porter Jr. (born June 29, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Missouri Tigers. Porter was ranked as one of ...
and
Kevin Durant
Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...
.
Scouts noted that Smith's main weakness on offense entering the draft is his ball handling, as he often times struggles to generate offense off of the dribble.
National team career
Smith played for the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
at the
2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in
Belém
Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...
, Brazil. He averaged 13.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and helped the United States win the gold medal.
Career statistics
NBA
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, 79 , , 79 , , 31.0 , , .408 , , .307 , , .786 , , 7.2 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .9 , , 12.8
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 79 , , 79 , , 31.0 , , .408 , , .307 , , .786 , , 7.2 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .9 , , 12.8
College
All statistics per
Sports Reference
Sports Reference, LLC, is an American company which operates several sports-related websites, including Sports-Reference.com, Baseball-Reference.com for baseball, Basketball-Reference.com for basketball, Hockey-Reference.com for ice hockey, Pro- ...
.
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
2021–22
, style="text-align:left;",
Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
, 34 , , 34 , , 28.8 , , .429 , , .420 , , .799 , , 7.4 , , 2.0 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 16.9
Personal life
Smith's father,
Jabari ''Jabari'' is a masculine given name, derived from Swahili, ultimately from Arabic, that is most commonly given to African-American boys. It is also an Arabic surname.
Etymology
Jabari is a borrowing from Swahili ''jabari'' meaning "brave (one)" ...
, played in the NBA for four seasons and competed professionally overseas. He has one older brother, named A.J.
[ Smith's distant cousin, ]Kwame Brown
Kwame Hasani Brown (born March 10, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Selected by the Washington Wizards in the 2001 NBA draft, Brown was the first No. ...
, was the first overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft
The 2001 NBA draft took place on June 27, 2001 in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player to be drafted with the first overall pick in the history of the NBA. The selection of Kwame Brown by the Washington Wizards, ...
and played in the NBA for 13 seasons.[
]
References
External links
Auburn Tigers bio
USA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Jabari Jr.
2003 births
Living people
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Auburn Tigers men's basketball players
Basketball players from Georgia (U.S. state)
Houston Rockets draft picks
Houston Rockets players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Sportspeople from Fayetteville, Georgia
Power forwards (basketball)