William T. "Wee Willie" Smith (April 22, 1911 – March 14, 1992) was 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.

Career

Smith played for several semi-professional leagues in the

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

area before being signed by the New York Renaissance, an all-black professional team, in 1932. From 1932 to 1936, Smith and his six teammates won over 400 games, including an 88-game winning streak from January 1, 1933 to March 27, 1933. The entire 1932–33 Renaissance team was collectively inducted into the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

in 1963. Smith played for several other professional teams, including the

Cleveland Chase Brassmen Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

of the National Basketball League. He was one of the few black players in the history of the NBL. After retiring from professional basketball, he worked as a custodian in the

Cleveland Public Schools Cleveland Metropolitan School District, formerly the Cleveland Municipal School District, is a public school district in the U.S. state of Ohio that serves almost all of the city of Cleveland. The district covers 79 square miles. The Cleveland ...

and operated a beverage shop. He was inducted into the Harlem Hall of Fame and the

Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame The Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1976 to honor Greater Clevelanders who were outstanding in sport. Greater Cleveland is defined as Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lor ...

in 1977.Wee Willie Smith
at Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Retrieved 16 August 2007.

References

External links

African-American basketball players Basketball players from Montgomery, Alabama Basketball players from Cleveland Centers (basketball) Cleveland Chase Brassmen players Dayton Rens players New York Renaissance players 1911 births 1992 deaths American men's basketball players 20th-century African-American sportspeople {{1910s-US-basketball-bio-stub