Zhaire Jahi-ihme Smith (born June 4, 1999) 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. 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

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

High school career

Smith attended

Lakeview Centennial High School Lakeview Centennial High School is a public secondary school in Garland, Texas, in the United States. It enrolls students in grades 9– 12 and is a part of the Garland Independent School District. The school's name derives from two sources: " ...

, where he was coached by J. T. Locklear. He averaged 20.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as a senior. Smith earned District 10-6A MVP honors and was voted the best dunker in the Dallas region by area coaches. Coming out of high school, Smith was a three-star recruit and chose Texas Tech over Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Memphis, Oregon, and Texas.

College career

In his freshman season at Texas Tech, he averaged 11.3 points and five rebounds per game. He was an honorable mention Big-12 selection and was named to the conference's All-Defensive team. Alongside

Keenan Evans Keenan Evans (born August 23, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball at Texas Tech University. College career A 6’3� ...

, Smith led Texas Tech to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to eventual champion Villanova. Smith had a career-high 21 points and to go along with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists in a February 7 win over Iowa State. He flirted with a triple-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a 69-66 victory in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament versus

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, and posted several highlight-reel dunks. Following the season, he declared for the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including inte ...

without initially hiring an agent. In late April it was announced that Smith signed with Roc Nation Sports, thus ending his collegiate eligibility.

Professional career

Philadelphia 76ers (2018–2020)

On June 21, 2018, Smith was selected with the sixteenth overall pick by the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

in the

, but was immediately traded, along with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

's 2021 first round pick, to the

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 Eas ...

for

Mikal Bridges Mikal Bridges (born August 30, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats, winning national championships in 2016 ...

. On July 2, he signed with the 76ers. On August 6, he fractured his foot at a summer development camp and required surgery. On August 10, 2018, the surgery to repair an acute Jones fracture of the fifth metatarsal in Smith's left foot was successful. A month later in September, Smith went through a

thoracoscopy Thoracoscopy is a medical procedure involving internal examination, biopsy and/or resection/drainage of disease or masses within the pleural cavity, usually with video assistance. Thoracoscopy may be performed either under general anaesthe ...

due to an allergic reaction relating to ingesting sesame, which caused further problems in his road to recovery. While general manager

Elton Brand Elton Tyron Brand (born March 11, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player and the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing college basketball for Duke, he was selecte ...

expressed doubt that he would be able to play for the 76ers in the regular season, Smith made his debut with the

Delaware Blue Coats The Delaware Blue Coats are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Wilmington, Delaware, and are affiliated with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats play their home games at Chase Fieldhouse. The team was founde ...

for the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

on March 1, 2019 against the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics (formerly the Maine Red Claws) are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo B ...

. He averaged 7.2 points with 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 11 G-League games with the Blue Coats, starting five. Smith made his NBA debut on March 25, 2019 in a 119-98 loss to 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 ...

, scoring three points with a steal and one rebound in five and a half minutes of play. In his rookie season, Smith averaged 6.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 18.5 minutes played in six games (two starts) including 17 points, four rebounds and five assists when he started the final game of the regular season against 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 1 ...

. Smith also played in two games during the 2019 NBA Playoffs with the 76ers, albeit with limited production in either game. As a result of an allergic reaction, Smith lost weight and reworked his shot in his second professional season. He started the season for the Blue Coats shooting 4-of-18 from behind the arc, but improved his shooting since December. On February 27, 2020, Smith had 16 points and six rebounds, shooting 7-for-16 from the floor in a 125-106 loss to the

Wisconsin Herd The Wisconsin Herd are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and are affiliated with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Herd play their home games at Oshkosh Arena. History On June 29, 2016, it was annou ...

. On November 23, 2020, Smith was traded to the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

in exchange for Tony Bradley. On November 30, Smith was waived by the Pistons. On December 15, 2020, Smith signed with the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

, but was waived the next day. Smith was included in the roster of the

Memphis Hustle The Memphis Hustle are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in the Greater Memphis suburb of Southaven, Mississippi, and are affiliated with the Memphis Grizzlies. The team plays their home games at the Landers Ce ...

of the

in 2021 but did not play a game for the team.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

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, 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

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College

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, 37 , , 21 , , 28.4 , , .556 , , .450 , , .717 , , 5.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , 11.3

Personal life

Smith's mother Andrea Aaron was a high school track star qualifying 4 years in the State of Louisiana in the High Hurdles. He has a sister, Aayinde. Smith also has a peanut allergy.

References

External links

*
Texas Tech Red Raiders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Zhaire 1999 births Living people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Texas Delaware Blue Coats players People from Garland, Texas Philadelphia 76ers players Phoenix Suns draft picks Shooting guards Sportspeople from the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball players 21st-century African-American sportspeople