Sam Smith (basketball, born 1955)

For the ABA basketball player, see Sam Smith (basketball, born 1943).

Sam Smith

Personal information
Born	(1955-01-08) January 8, 1955 (age 70) Ferriday, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school	Ed W. Clark (Las Vegas, Nevada)
College	Seminole State (1973–1975) UNLV (1975–1977)
NBA draft	1977: 3rd round, 48th overall
Drafted by	Atlanta Hawks
Playing career	1978–1980
Position	Shooting guard
Number	5, 28
Career history
1978	Kentucky Stallions
1978–1979	Salt Lake City Prospectors
1979	Milwaukee Bucks
1979–1980	Chicago Bulls
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Sam Smith (born January 8, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

College career

A 6'4" tall shooting guard, Smith played college basketball at the UNLV, during the 1970s. He helped the Runnin' Rebels reach their first ever NCAA Final Four in 1977, as a member of the fabled "Hardway Eight", that was coached by Jerry Tarkanian. ^[1]

Professional career

Smith played two seasons (1978 – 1980) in the NBA, as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls. He averaged 6.8 points per game during his NBA career. ^[2] Smith completed the first four-point play in the NBA's history, on October 21, 1979. ^[1]

Personal life

Smith was born in Ferriday, Louisiana. He is now living in Las Vegas, and working as an AAU basketball trainer and coach at the Bill and Lilly Heinrich YMCA. Where he worked with his fellow UNLV legend and teammate, Robert Smith. ^[1]

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

NBA

Source ^[2]

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1978–79	Milwaukee	16	7.8	.404		.750	.6	1.0	.5	.4	3.5
1979–80	Chicago	30	16.5	.422	.229	.905	1.8	1.4	.8	.2	8.6
Career		46	13.5	.419	.229	.862	1.4	1.3	.7	.3	6.8

References

1. Sam Smith. "Taxing dilemma for NBA's 2010 free agents". bulls.com. July 27, 2009. Retrieved on October 11, 2009.
2. "Sam Smith NBA stats". Basketball Reference . Retrieved June 23, 2025.