Tyler Smith (born November 2, 2004) 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 (appro ...

player for the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He previously played for the

NBA G League Ignite The NBA G League Ignite was a developmental basketball team in the NBA G League. Originally based in Walnut Creek, California, with home games planned to have been played at the Ultimate Fieldhouse for their first two seasons before moving to Hende ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

Early life and high school career

Smith was born in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

and relocated with his family to

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

after they were was displaced by

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

in 2005. Smith attended

George Bush High School George Bush High School is a public high school located in the Mission Bend census designated place and in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas, serving students in grades 9–12. The school has a "Richmond, Texas" postal address but is not ...

. Smith was a five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, ranked 8th by

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

, 15th by

247 __NOTOC__ Year 247 ( CCXLVII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Philippus and Severus (or, less frequently, year 1000 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination ...

and 18th by

Rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

before leaving school for OTE according to major recruiting services. He had scholarship offers from

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, Baylor,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

, and

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

, among others.

Professional career

Overtime Elite (2021–2023)

Smith opted not to pursue a collegiate career and signed a two-year contract with

Overtime Elite Overtime Elite is a basketball league for 16–20-year-olds, based in Atlanta, Georgia. The league is owned and operated by Overtime and was founded by Dan Porter and Zack Weiner. History Overtime launched the Overtime Elite basketball leagu ...

(OTE), a new professional league based in Atlanta with players between ages 16 and 20, on August 22, 2021. In his second season, he played for team Cold Hearts and was named second team All-OTE after averaging 15.7 points, eight rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game.

NBA G League Ignite (2023–2024)

Smith signed with the

on June 30, 2023.

Milwaukee Bucks / Wisconsin Herd (2024–present)

Smith was selected with the 33rd overall pick by the

in the

2024 NBA draft The 2024 NBA draft was the 78th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft. Unlike recent years, the 2024 draft took place over two nights. This was the first NBA draft to be held on multiple nights since the draft ...

and on July 5, he signed with them. Smith made his NBA debut on October 23, 2024, in a 124–109 win over the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...

. On December 17, Smith won his first NBA honours playing the final minutes in the

2024 NBA Cup The 2024 NBA Cup was a multi-stage tournament, multi-stage basketball tournament played during the 2024–25 NBA season. It was the second edition of the NBA Cup. All 30 teams participated, each playing four regular season games that counted towa ...

final in a 97-81 win against 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

. Throughout his rookie season, he has been assigned several times 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 anno ...

Career statistics

NBA

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

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 23 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , .480 , , .433 , , .750 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , .1 , , .2 , , 2.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 23 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , .480 , , .433 , , .750 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , .1 , , .2 , , 2.9

References

External links

Overtime Elite profileG-League profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Tyler 2004 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen American men's basketball players Basketball players from New Orleans Basketball players from Texas Milwaukee Bucks draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players NBA G League Ignite players Overtime Elite players Power forwards Wisconsin Herd players