BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Josh Smith (born December 5, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for his hometown Atlanta Hawks, where he spent the first nine seasons of his career.
Josh is one of five children born to Pete and Paulette Smith. His siblings are Walter, Phebe, Kasola and Shanti. His popular nickname is "J-Smoove".[1]
High school career
Smith attended John McEachern High School in Powder Springs Georgia. During the summer before his senior year Smith played alongside future NBA players Randolph Morris and childhood friend Dwight Howard on the highly regarded Atlanta Celtics AAU team.[2][3] For his senior year, Smith transferred to Oak Hill Academy. At Oak Hill he was teammates with Rajon Rondo. During their senior year Smith and Rondo led Oak Hill to a 38-0 record, while Smith averaged 22 points per game, eight rebounds, three steals, four assists and six blocks per game.[4]
Smith was one of the most highly touted recruits for the class of 2004. Rivals.com rated Smith the third best player in the nation, and the number one small forward in the nation.[5] Although Smith committed to play for Indiana University he ultimately decided to forgo college and enter the NBA Draft.[6]
NBA career
Atlanta Hawks
Smith was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 17th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.
Having entered the league straight out of high school, Smith has publicly disagreed with the rule change that prohibited high school players from entering the NBA Entry Draft.[7]
He won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest during his rookie year in the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend. He averaged 9.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.95 blocks per game for the 2004–05 season and was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. For the2005–06 season, Smith averaged 2.25 blocks per game, ranking seventh in the NBA.
After the NBA All-Star Weekend, he continued his steady development. He finished second in the NBA in total blocks, 4th in blocks per game and averaged 15.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 4.1 apg, 3.1 bpg and 1.0 spg after the All-Star break and his contribution helped the Hawks double their win total of 13 wins from the previous season to finish 26-56.
On March 3, 2007, Smith broke the 500-block mark, making him the youngest player to do so in NBA history.[8] Smith ended the 2006–07 season with 16.4 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.9 blocks, dramatically improving on his previous season's stats. Leading the Hawks after Joe Johnson's season-ending injury, Smith produced a career high 32 points and 19 rebounds in Johnson's absence. He eclipsed this mark on November 17, 2007 with a new career high of 38 points on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks.[9]
On August 8, 2008, Smith signed an offer sheet to play with the Memphis Grizzlies, but the Hawks quickly matched the offer sheet.[10][11] Smith was told by Atlanta to go out as a restricted free agent to test the market, putting the pressure on Smith to essentially go out and set his price.[7]
On February 2, 2010, in a 99-106 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Smith became the youngest player (at 24 years old) to block 1000 shots.[12] Later, Smith was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the first time in his career.
Detroit Pistons
On July 10, 2013, Smith signed with the Detroit Pistons[13] on a reported four-year, $54 million deal.[14] On January 10, 2014, Smith recorded 22 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 blocks, and 4 steals in a 114-104 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.[15]
On February 22, 2014, Smith recorded a first half career high of 24 points as he went on to finish with a season high of 32 in a 102-113 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.[16]
NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
- Correct as of 2012–13 season
Regular season[edit]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Atlanta | 74 | 59 | 27.7 | .455 | .174 | .688 | 6.2 | 1.7 | .8 | 1.9 | 9.7 |
| 2005–06 | Atlanta | 80 | 73 | 32.0 | .425 | .309 | .719 | 6.6 | 2.4 | .8 | 2.6 | 11.3 |
| 2006–07 | Atlanta | 72 | 72 | 36.8 | .439 | .250 | .693 | 8.6 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 16.4 |
| 2007–08 | Atlanta | 81 | 81 | 35.5 | .457 | .253 | .710 | 8.2 | 3.4 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 17.2 |
| 2008–09 | Atlanta | 69 | 69 | 35.1 | .492 | .299 | .588 | 7.2 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 15.6 |
| 2009–10 | Atlanta | 81 | 81 | 35.4 | .505 | .000 | .618 | 8.7 | 4.2 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 15.7 |
| 2010–11 | Atlanta | 77 | 77 | 34.4 | .477 | .331 | .725 | 8.5 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 16.5 |
| 2011–12 | Atlanta | 66 | 66 | 35.3 | .458 | .257 | .630 | 9.6 | 3.9 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 18.8 |
| 2012–13 | Atlanta | 76 | 76 | 35.3 | .465 | .303 | .517 | 8.4 | 4.2 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 17.5 |
| 2013–14 | Detroit | 77 | 76 | 35.5 | .419 | .264 | .532 | 6.8 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 16.4 |
| Career | 753 | 730 | 34.3 | .459 | .279 | .643 | 7.9 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 15.5 |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Atlanta | 7 | 7 | 33.9 | .398 | .167 | .841 | 6.4 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 15.7 |
| 2009 | Atlanta | 11 | 11 | 37.3 | .421 | .133 | .732 | 7.5 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 17.1 |
| 2010 | Atlanta | 11 | 11 | 35.6 | .481 | .333 | .659 | 9.0 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 14.1 |
| 2011 | Atlanta | 12 | 12 | 36.5 | .404 | .125 | .597 | 8.5 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 15.1 |
| 2012 | Atlanta | 5 | 5 | 39.2 | .386 | .000 | .762 | 13.6 | 4.8 | .6 | 1.0 | 16.8 |
| 2013 | Atlanta | 6 | 6 | 33.2 | .433 | .250 | .528 | 7.5 | 3.5 | 1.8 | .5 | 17.0 |
| Career | 52 | 52 | 36.0 | .422 | .172 | .682 | 8.5 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 15.8 |
NBA records
Youngest player in NBA history to record:
- 10 blocked shots in a game, Atlanta Hawks at Dallas Mavericks, December 18, 2004 (19 years, 13 days)
- 500 career blocked shots, Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks, March 3, 2007 (21 years, 88 days) (206 games)
- 1,000 career blocked shots, Atlanta Hawks at Oklahoma City Thunder, February 2, 2010 (24 years, 59 days) (423 games)
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