No. 35–Detroit Pistons | |
---|---|
Position | Power forward |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, U.S. | July 26, 2000
Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
Career information | |
High school |
|
College |
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NBA draft | 2024: undrafted |
Playing career | 2024–present |
Career history | |
2024–2025 | Motor City Cruise |
2025–present | Detroit Pistons |
2025–present | →Motor City Cruise |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball Reference |
Galen Edward Mitchell "Tolu" Smith III (born July 26, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Smith was raised in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and played basketball at Bay High School. [1] He moved with his family to Hawaii in 2017 and enrolled at Kahuku High & Intermediate School in Kahuku for his senior season. [2] He was selected as the Honolulu Star-Advertiser All-State player of the year in 2018. [3]
Smith played his freshman season for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and averaged 3.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. [3] He elected to transfer at the end of the season to join his home state Mississippi State Bulldogs. [3] Smith sat out the 2019–20 season due to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) transfer rules. [4]
Smith appeared in 30 games during his sophomore season but only started 20 during his junior season as he battled multiple injuries. [4] He returned to full health for his senior season in 2022–23 and started all 34 games. [4] Smith averaged 15.7 points with a league-leading 57.2% field goal percentage to earn first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors. [5] He declared for the 2023 NBA draft but returned to Mississippi State for his fifth year of collegiate eligibility. [5] Smith averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds per game during the 2023–24 season and was named to the All-SEC first-team. [6]
After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Smith joined the Detroit Pistons for the 2024 NBA Summer League [7] and on September 17, 2024, he signed with the team. [8] However, he was waived on October 17 [9] and on October 29, he joined the Motor City Cruise. [10] On January 6, 2025, he signed a two-way contract with the Pistons. [11] On April 13, Smith made his NBA debut against the Milwaukee Bucks in the final game of the regular season and scored 14 points with 8 rebounds. [12] He became the second Hawaii high school graduate to appear in an NBA game after Red Rocha who last played in 1957. [12]
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 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024–25 | Detroit | 1 | 0 | 22.0 | .667 | – | .667 | 8.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 14.0 |
Career | 1 | 0 | 22.0 | .667 | – | .667 | 8.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 14.0 |
Smith was born to an African-American father and Samoan mother. [2] His father, Galen, worked as a computer specialist for the Naval Oceanographic Office, [2] and previously played college basketball in the United States Virgin Islands. [13] Smith's mother, Shannel, played basketball for the South Alabama Jaguars. [13] His older brother, Galen Jr., played basketball for the Xavier Gold Rush. [14]
Smith's nickname, "Tolu", means "three" in Samoan as he was the third Galen in his family. [15] He received his initials, G.E.M.S., because his parents considered him and his brother to be their "gems". [15]