Nolan Derek Smith (born July 25, 1988) is an American 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 who is currently an assistant men's basketball coach for the

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

. He played college basketball for Duke before being drafted 21st overall 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 ...

in the

2011 NBA draft The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (23:00 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. Kia Motors was the presenting sponsor ...

. As a junior, he started at shooting guard for Duke's national champion 2010 team. As a senior, he was named a consensus first-team All-American and the ACC Player of the Year.

Early life

As a child, Smith frequently attended

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

practices after his father, then-former NBA player, Derek Smith, took their assistant coach position in 1994. Following the shocking death of his father in 1996, the Bullets made him a frequent guest at their home games.

High school career

As an eighth grader, Smith played varsity basketball for

The Key School The Key School is an independent coeducational school, located in the neighborhood of Hillsmere Shores in Annapolis, Maryland. The Key School was established by a group of tutors from St. John's College in 1958. Key is a member of the National ...

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

before moving to St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C. for his freshman season in 2003–04. At St. John's, he was a third-team all-conference pick while averaging 10.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game. As a sophomore in 2004–05, Smith attended

Riverdale Baptist School Riverdale Baptist School is a private Christian school located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, serving students from Pre-K to 12. It is located in Prince George's County, Maryland, and is accredited through Middle States Association of Colleges a ...

Upper Marlboro, Maryland Upper Marlboro, officially the Town of Upper Marlboro, is the seat of Prince George's County, Maryland. Aso of the 2020 census, the population was 652. although Greater Upper Marlboro is many times larger. Etymology Upper Marlboro was establ ...

. There, he averaged 16 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three steals per game as he led Riverdale to a 33–1 record and subsequently earned third-team All-Metro honors. For his junior and senior years, Smith attended Oak Hill Academy in

Mouth of Wilson, Virginia Mouth of Wilson is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community, in Grayson County, Virginia, Grayson County in the U.S. state of Virginia, just north of the North Carolina state line. The community lies in the Blue Ridge Highlands section of ...

where he was a two-year captain and played alongside several future NBA players, including

Michael Beasley Michael Paul Beasley Jr. (born January 9, 1989) is an American professional basketball player, who most recently played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Kansas State Univers ...

, Ty Lawson and

Brandon Jennings Brandon Byron Jennings (born September 23, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player who played 9 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is known for being one of the first Americans to go from high school to ...

. In 2005–06, he averaged 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals per game as he helped Oak Hill to a 40–1 overall record and a final ''USA Today'' No. 2 national ranking. He subsequently earned EA Sports second-team All-America honors. On November 13, 2006, Smith signed a

National Letter of Intent National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

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 ...

for

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

. As a senior in 2006–07, Smith averaged 22.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.2 steals per game as he led his team to a 40–1 record, tying the school's single season wins record and helping Oak Hill earn the top spot in the final ''USA Today'' 2007 Super 25 national rankings. He earned first-team EA Sports and ''Parade'' All-American honors and was named to the Les Schwab Invitational all-tournament team after leading Oak Hill to the championship. He also earned

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 ...

honors. Considered a four-star recruit by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

, Smith was listed as the No. 8 shooting guard and the No. 39 player in the nation in 2007.

College career

Freshman year

As a freshman at

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

in 2007–08, Smith played in all 34 games, with one starting assignment as he averaged 5.9 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 14.7 minutes per game. He earned his first collegiate start against Cornell on January 6, 2008 and scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, while overall, he scored in double figures six times, including a season-high 21 points against Wake Forest on February 17.

Sophomore year

As a sophomore in 2008–09, Smith played in 34 games, with 21 starting assignments as he averaged 8.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He finished the season ranked fourth on the team in double-figure scoring games with 17. He scored a season-high 16 points, along with five rebounds and four assists, against Michigan on November 21, 2008.

Junior year

As a junior in 2009–10, Smith started 38 games after sitting out the first two games of the season, serving a suspension for playing in a non-sanctioned summer league game. He averaged 17.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He led the Blue Devils in field goals made; finished second in assists, steals and three-point field goal percentage; and third on the team in scoring, three-point field goals, free throws made, free throw percentage and minutes. He subsequently earned second-team All-ACC honors, and claimed USBWA All-District III and NABC Second Team All-District 2 honors. March 28, 2010, Smith scored a then career-high 29 points on 9-of-17 from the field in an

Elite Eight In the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship, the "Elite Eight" comprises the final eight teams, representing the regional finals, or national quarterfinals. In Division I and Divis ...

game, as Duke defeated Baylor and advanced to the Final Four. In that game, Smith (628 points),

Jon Scheyer Jonathan James Scheyer (, born August 24, 1987) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach for the Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Scheyer led his high school team to an Illinois ...

(690 points) and

Kyle Singler Kyle Edward Singler (born May 4, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. Singler was a four-year starter for the Duke men's basketball team and was instrumental in their 2010 NCAA championship run, earning Most Outstanding Pl ...

(667 points) became the second trio in Duke history to each score at least 600 points in a season; in 2001–02, Jay Williams,

Carlos Boozer Carlos Austin Boozer Jr. (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. The two-time NBA All-Star played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers, and then spent his last seas ...

and

Mike Dunleavy, Jr. Michael Joseph Dunleavy Jr. (born September 15, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who is the vice president of basketball operations for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previou ...

first accomplished that feat for Duke. Smith went on to earn NCAA All-Final Four team as he led Duke to an

NCAA championship The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

victory. He averaged 16 points and five assists per game in wins over West Virginia and Butler.

Senior year

As a senior in 2010–11, Smith started 37 games as he averaged 20.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He was named the 12th ACC Player of the Year in school history after becoming the 11th Duke player to lead the league in scoring. He earned first-team All-ACC and ACC All-Defensive team honors, and NABC and USBWA first-team All-District honors after leading Duke to a 32–5 record and a third consecutive ACC championship. He was also a finalist for the Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy and Bob Cousy Award. On February 9, 2011, Smith scored a career high 34 points in a home win over No. 20 North Carolina, making a career-high 13 field goal attempts. Smith was the team captain in 2010–11, along with fellow senior

. He was well respected amongst his peers as teammates gravitated towards him in the locker room because of his passion for the game, and his ability to remain energetic and loose in high-pressure situations. He became just the ninth player under

Mike Krzyzewski Michael William Krzyzewski ( ; born February 13, 1947), nicknamed "Coach K", is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at Duke University from 1980 to 2022, during which he led the Blue Devils to five natio ...

to average over 20.0 points per game, and with his 764 total points in 2010–11, he recorded the ninth highest single season total and is just the 19th time a Duke player has scored 700 or more.

College statistics

, - , align="left" , 2007–08 , align="left" ,

, 34 , , 1 , , 14.7 , , .467 , , .386 , , .769 , , 1.5 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .1 , , 5.9 , - , align="left" , 2008–09 , align="left" ,

, 34 , , 21 , , 21.6 , , .426 , , .346 , , .849 , , 2.2 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , .1 , , 8.4 , - , align="left" , 2009–10 , align="left" ,

, 38 , , 38 , , 35.5 , , .441 , , .392 , , .767 , , 2.8 , , 3.0 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 17.4 , - , align="left" ,

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, align="left" ,

, 37 , , 37 , , 34.0 , , .458 , , .350 , , .813 , , 4.5 , , 5.1 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 20.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 143 , , 98 , , 26.9 , , .448 , , .368 , , .800 , , 2.8 , , 2.8 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 13.4

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers (2011–2013)

Smith was selected with the 21st overall pick in the

by the

. On December 9, 2011, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Trail Blazers. As a rookie, he played 44 games (four starts) and averaged 3.8 points, 1.4 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game. In July 2012, Smith joined the Trail Blazers for the 2012

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the National Basketball Association. NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups ...

, but managed just two games after he was ruled out for the rest of the competition on July 17 when he received an elbow to the head from Rockets' swingman

Zoran Dragić Zoran Dragić (born June 22, 1989) is a Slovenian professional basketball player who plays for Cedevita Olimpija of the Slovenian League and the ABA League. He also represents the Slovenian national basketball team internationally. Standing a ...

while driving to the hoop. He was carried out on a stretcher and the game was called off with 27 seconds left to play. Later that day, after tests came back normal, he was released from Las Vegas hospital. On January 6, 2013, Smith was assigned to the

Idaho Stampede Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

of the

NBA Development 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 January 9, he was recalled by the Trail Blazers after competing in both of Idaho's games at the 2013 NBA D-League Showcase in

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...

. He averaged 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 38.0 minutes per game as he was named Showcase honorable mention honors. He finished his sophomore season with averages of 2.8 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 40 games.

Cedevita (2013–2014)

In July 2013, Smith joined 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 ...

for the

2013 NBA Summer League The 2013 NBA Summer League is a pro basketball league run by the NBA just after the 2013 NBA draft. It gives newly drafted players a chance to test their skills against each other, and to give them a feel for professional basketball. All 30 NBA ...

where he played just one game and scored four points. On August 18, 2013, Smith signed a one-year deal with

Cedevita Zagreb Košarkaški klub Cedevita Junior ( en, Cedevita Junior Basketball Club), also known as Cedevita Junior, is a men's basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is named after its main sponsor Cedevita, and competes in the Croatian HT Premi ...

of the Croatian League. He gained a lot of media attention in the country after hitting a

buzzer beater In basketball and other such timed sports, a buzzer beater is a shot that is taken before the game clock of a quarter, a half (if the half is the second one, then, a game), or an overtime period expires but does not go in the basket until after t ...

three-pointer with 0.6 seconds left in the semi-final of the ABA League Final Four, securing his team a spot in the

2014–15 Euroleague The 2014–15 Turkish Airlines Euroleague was the 15th season of the modern era of Euroleague Basketball and the fifth under the title sponsorship of the Turkish Airlines. Including the competition's previous iteration as the FIBA Europe Champion ...

, and leaving a Serbian legendary club

Partizan Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: **AK Partizan, athletics ** Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling ** Džudo Klub Partizan, judo **FK Partizan, association fo ...

out of the Euroleague for the first time after 14 years, and the first time since ULEB takeover of the competition in 2000.

Galatasaray (2014)

In July 2014, Smith joined the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

for the

2014 NBA Summer League The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA Draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...

where he averaged 4.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in five games. On August 29, 2014, Smith signed a one-year deal with

Galatasaray Liv Hospital Galatasaray S.K., is a professional basketball team based in the city of Istanbul in Turkey. It is a part of the Galatasaray Sports Club. The team competes in the Turkish Basketball Super League and Basketball Champions League. The team has won 16 ...

of the

Turkish Basketball League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

. On October 19, 2014, in a

Turkish League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

game against

Banvit Banvit is a feed and poultry producer based in Bandırma, Turkey. Business and activities Starting as a feed producer in 1968, Banvit gradually moved into the production of broiler chickens. Today Banvit has the country's largest single broiler ...

, he threw a towel while being subbed out, after which head coach

Ergin Ataman Halil Ergin Ataman (born January 7, 1966) is a Turkish professional basketball coach. He is the current head coach of Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. He also coaches the Turkey men's national basketball team. During ...

expelled him from the arena. He later apologized for this incident. He later parted ways with Galatasaray on October 27, 2014.

Delaware 87ers (2014–2015)

On November 26, 2014, Smith was acquired by the

Delaware 87ers Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

of the NBA Development League. On January 15, 2015, he was waived by the 87ers.

Coaching career

On February 22, 2016, Smith joined the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Associatio ...

coaching staff as a special assistant. He has subsequently been promoted to director of basketball operations & player development in March 2018 and in April 2021 was named as an assistant coach. On April 4, 2022, Smith joined the

coaching staff under

Kenny Payne Kenneth Victor Payne (born November 25, 1966) is an American college basketball coach and former player who is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Louisville. Prior to being hired at Louisville, Payne spent two seasons as an assis ...

. Smith's father, Derek Smith, played at Louisville and was a member of Louisville's 1980 championship team.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, 44 , , 4 , , 12.3 , , .372 , , .289 , , .714 , , 1.3 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .1 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 40 , , 0 , , 7.2 , , .368 , , .214 , , .714 , , .7 , , .9 , , .2 , , .0 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 84 , , 4 , , 9.9 , , .371 , , .260 , , .714 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .0 , , 3.3

Euroleague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

, 1 , , 0 , , 16.4 , , .222 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 6.0 , , -1.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1 , , 0 , , 16.4 , , .222 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 6.0 , , -1.0

Personal

Smith is the son of Monica Smith and the late Derek Smith. He has one older sister, Sydney Smith. His father played basketball at Louisville and was a member of the 1980 NCAA championship team that defeated UCLA. His father then played nine years in the NBA. At age 34, Derek died of a heart attack while he and his family were on a cruise ship near Bermuda. Smith has a

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of tatt ...

on his right arm, with his father's likeness and the words: "Forever Watching." He grew up with

and remains friends with him. In 2021, Nolan began co-hosting the "Power Check Ball
podcast
alongside Marc Isenberg. Smith is married to UNC alumna Cheyna Elliott. They were married in 2017 and have two children, Camryn and Derek "Deuce."

References

External links

*
Nolan Smith
at goduke.com
Nolan Smith
at euroleague.net
Nolan Smith
at nbadleague.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Nolan 1988 births Living people 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American sportspeople ABA League players African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Croatia American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Kentucky Basketball coaches from Maryland Basketball players from Louisville, Kentucky Basketball players from Maryland Delaware 87ers players Duke Blue Devils men's basketball coaches Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players Galatasaray S.K. (men's basketball) players KK Cedevita players McDonald's High School All-Americans Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Prince George's County, Maryland Point guards Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players Shooting guards Sportspeople from Louisville, Kentucky