Jason Mathew Smith (born 20 October 1974) is an Australian former 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. On 10 October 2013, Smith was named in the Sydney Kings 25th Anniversary Team.
Professional career
Smith's career began with the
South East Melbourne Magic
The South East Melbourne Magic was an Australian basketball team based in Melbourne. The Magic competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) between 1992 and 1998, and played their home games at Rod Laver Arena.
In their seven seasons, the ...
and was just starting to find his feet when the club folded. Smith then signed with new franchise
Victoria Titans
The Victoria Titans (known in its final two seasons as the Victoria Giants), were an Australian professional basketball team that competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The club was based in Melbourne, Victoria.
History
The Titans ...
who elected to keep his contract. Smith contributed to the success of the Titans that saw them reach consecutive Grand Finals, in 1999 and 2000, of which they did not win. Victoria soon folded and Smith signed a contract with the
Sydney Kings
The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Kings were formed from a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the ...
. Although Smith struggled during his first season with Sydney, he excelled during the playoff series, leading Sydney Kings to an NBL championship and Smith was named Grand Final MVP. Outside of the NBL, Smith has had a few short stints in Europe where he played on Croatian team
Cibona Zagreb
Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association, and competes ...
and two Italian teams;
Rida Scafati and
Scavolini Pesaro. On 18 June 2009, Smith announced his retirement from basketball.
National team career
From 1999 to 2009, Smith played for the
Australia men's national basketball team
The Australian men's national basketball team, known as the Boomers after the slang term for a male kangaroo, represents Australia in international basketball competition.
Since the late 1980s, Australia has been placed among the world elite ...
, the Boomers. He represented Australia at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympic Games as well as the 2006 Commonwealth Games and Captained the Boomers at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan
Personal
Smith is a Christian.
References
External links
Basketball Australia Profile
1974 births
Living people
Australian Christians
Australian expatriate basketball people in Croatia
Australian expatriate basketball people in Italy
Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Australian men's basketball players
Basketball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Basketball players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Basketball players from Melbourne
Cal Lutheran Kingsmen basketball players
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia
Commonwealth Games medallists in basketball
KK Cibona players
Olympic basketball players of Australia
Scafati Basket players
Shooting guards
Small forwards
South East Melbourne Magic players
Sydney Kings players
Victoria Titans players
2006 FIBA World Championship players
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