Robert Smith (basketball)

Last updated

Robert Smith
Personal information
Born (1955-03-10) March 10, 1955 (age 70)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High school Crenshaw
(Los Angeles, California)
College
NBA draft 1977: 3rd round, 65th overall
Drafted by Denver Nuggets
Playing career1977–1992
Position Point guard
Number5, 10, 9
Career history
1977–1979 Denver Nuggets
1979 Utah Jazz
1979–1980 New Jersey Nets
1980 Cleveland Cavaliers
1981–1982 Montana Golden Nuggets
1982 Milwaukee Bucks
1982 San Diego Clippers
1982–1983Montana Golden Nuggets
1983 San Antonio Spurs
1983–1984 Toronto Tornados
1984 Cleveland Cavaliers
1984–1985Toronto Tornados
1985–1989 AS Monaco
1989–1992 Olympique Antibes
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Stats at Basketball Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Robert Leroy Smith (born March 10, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels.

Contents

College career

A 5'11" tall point guard, Smith played college basketball at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where as a member of the fabled "Hardway Eight", that was coached by the legendary Jerry Tarkanian, and that took the Runnin' Rebels to their first NCAA Final Four, in 1977. His jersey was honored by UNLV in 2022. [1]

Professional career

Smith was selected by the Denver Nuggets, in the third round of the 1977 NBA draft, with the 65th overall draft pick. Smith played for seven NBA teams, in as many seasons from, 1977 to 1984. On November 17, 1978, while he was playing with the Denver Nuggets, Smith scored a career-high 19 points, in a game against the Boston Celtics.

In October 1979, Smith was traded by the Denver Nuggets to the Utah Jazz. In November 1979, he was signed as a free agent by the New Jersey Nets.

Coaching career

After he finished his pro club basketball playing career, Smith worked as a basketball coach at the AAU level. He coached at the Bill and Lilly Heinrich YMCA in Las Vegas, Nevada, along with his fellow UNLV teammate and lifelong friend, "Sudden" Sam Smith.

Personal life

Smith was born in Los Angeles, California. He suffered a stroke in 2019. He is still recovering. [1]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames 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
 * Led the league

NBA

Source [2]

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
1977–78 Denver 458.4.515.875.8.9.4.12.7
1978–79 Denver 82*18.0.422.8831.82.5.7.26.4
1979–80 Utah 612.2.333–1.000.51.2.7.01.5
New Jersey 5912.5.445.308.8621.31.4.4.15.2
1980–81 Cleveland 120.0.400–1.0003.03.0.0.08.0
1981–82 Milwaukee 17118.6.473.200.833.82.6.6.16.8
1982–83 San Diego 508.6.154.000.875.61.2.8.02.2
San Antonio 703.6.455.0001.000.4.3.1.01.7
1984–85 Cleveland 706.9.235.000.800.61.0.3.02.3
Career229113.6.435.238.8771.31.8.5.15.0

Playoffs

YearTeamGPMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
1978 Denver 118.7.654.714.81.5.5.03.5
1979 Denver 38.3.0001.000.71.3.7.0.7
1982 Milwaukee 611.3.385.286.8751.22.0.2.04.8
1983 San Antonio 63.2.444.0001.000.81.0.2.01.7
Career268.0.456.250.842.91.5.4.03.1

References

  1. 1 2 Graney, Ed (February 19, 2022). "Graney: Rebels look terrific, but day belongs to Robert Smith". Las Vegas Review-Journal . Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Robert Smith NBA stats". Basketball Reference . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
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