Michael Francis Smrek (born 31 August 1962) is a Canadian former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He was selected in the second round of the

1985 NBA draft The 1985 NBA Draft took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBA draft of the "lottery" era. It was also around this time where the league decreased the amount of rounds the draft spent, with the previous few years lasting up to 10 roun ...

by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, and played seven seasons in the league as a backup

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

. He won two

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

s with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Early life

Smrek graduated from Eastdale High School in

Welland Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada. As of 2021, it had a population of 55,750. The city is in the centre of Niagara and located within a half-hour driving distance to Niagara Falls, Niagara-on ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, having grown up in

Port Robinson, Ontario Port Robinson is a small community in the southernmost part of Thorold, Ontario, Canada. The community is divided in half by the Welland Canal, as there is no bridge in the immediate vicinity to connect the two halves of the community. In the sum ...

, and a nearby rural farming community. He worked on his family farm and had little time for organized sports. He did not start playing basketball until grade 10 after being prodded by the high school coach to try out. "He was a nice guy, so I didn't want to hurt his feelings," Smrek said.

College career

At Canisius College, Smrek averaged 9.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 0.8 assists in 23 minutes a contest over four years. He is the college's second-leading career shot-blocker with 172 (compatriot Michael Meeks is first with 183). He also had the two best seasons for field-goal percentage in school history with a .632 FGP in 1983-84 and a .601 FGP in 1984–85.

Professional career

Smrek was a back-up

, appearing in 194 games over seven seasons. He averaged 9.7 minutes, 2.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks a contest during this time. Drafted by the

with the first pick in the second round of the

out of Canisius College, he played as a rookie with future star Michael Jordan and the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

, appearing in 38 games and averaged around his career totals. The NBA defending-champion Boston Celtics were interested in signing Smrek, but he chose the Los Angeles Lakers instead. He figured the Lakers provided him the best opportunity for a regular role in the NBA, as their starting center,

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

, was approaching age 40. Smrek played sparingly in his two seasons with the Lakers, but earned NBA championship rings in

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

and

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

. The first title was against the rival Celtics in six games. He then had a year with 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 Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

, parts of three seasons with the Golden State Warriors and a brief stint with the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

. He also played for the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

in the 1996 preseason. He played in Italy for Fulgor Libertas Forlì (1989–90), in the Greek League for

Dafni BC Dafnis B.C. is a Greek professional basketball club. The club's full name is Athlitikos Omilos Dafnis B.C., or A.O. Dafnis B.C. The club is located in Dafni, Athens, Greece. The colors of the team are yellow and black, and the team's symbol is th ...

(1992–93) and in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

for

KK Split Košarkaški klub Split ( en, Split Basketball Club), commonly referred to as KK Split or simply Split, is a men's professional basketball club based in Split, Croatia. The club competes in the ABA League and the Croatian League. History The c ...

(1996–97).

Personal life

Smrek and his wife have two children, one son and one daughter. His son Luke played tennis at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Martin Henni, the first Bishop of the diocese of M ...

, while his daughter Anna currently plays volleyball at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

. As a freshman in 2021, Anna was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Final Four as the Badgers claimed their first-ever national title in the sport.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smrek, Mike 1962 births Living people Basketball people from Ontario Canadian expatriate basketball people in Croatia Canadian expatriate basketball people in Greece Canadian expatriate basketball people in Italy Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Canadian men's basketball players Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Chicago Bulls players Dafnis B.C. players Golden State Warriors players Greek Basket League players KK Split players Los Angeles Clippers players Los Angeles Lakers players National Basketball Association players from Canada Portland Trail Blazers draft picks San Antonio Spurs players Sportspeople from Welland 1994 FIBA World Championship players