Adrian Smith (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Adrian Howard Smith (born October 5, 1936, in Farmington
, Kentucky
) is a retired American Northeast Mississippi Community College
, University of Kentucky
, NBA
, and ABA
player.
Smith was a member of the undefeated U.S. men's basketball team that won the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics
and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 13, 2010.
A 6'2" guard, Smith was drafted out of the University of Kentucky by the Cincinnati Royals
in the fifteenth round of the 1958 NBA Draft
. Smith began his professional career in the 1961–62 NBA season. In the 1969-70 season
, Smith was traded by the Royals to the San Francisco Warriors
. Smith's NBA career ended following the 1970-71 season
, after which he played one season in the American Basketball Association with the Virginia Squires
.
Smith's career highlights include his surprising winning of the 1966 NBA All-Star Game
MVP in which he scored 24 points in 26 minutes of play (assisted, literally, by his regular-season teammate Oscar Robertson
), and his league- leading free throw
percentage of 90.3% in the 1966-67 season
.
After eleven seasons of playing professional basketball Smith entered the banking industry, where he worked as a Commercial Relationship Manager for Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bank
as of August 2010.
Farmington, Kentucky
Farmington is a census-designated place in Graves County, Kentucky, United States. Farmington is located 7 miles southeast of Mayfield and 13 miles west of Murray...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
) is a retired American Northeast Mississippi Community College
Northeast Mississippi Community College
Northeast Mississippi Community College, also known as NEMCC, is a public, comprehensive community college. NEMCC is a located in Booneville, Mississippi, USA...
, University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, and ABA
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
player.
Smith was a member of the undefeated U.S. men's basketball team that won the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 13, 2010.
A 6'2" guard, Smith was drafted out of the University of Kentucky by the Cincinnati Royals
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
in the fifteenth round of the 1958 NBA Draft
1958 NBA Draft
The 1958 NBA Draft was the 12th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on April 22, 1958 before the 1958–59 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. In each round, the teams select in reverse order of...
. Smith began his professional career in the 1961–62 NBA season. In the 1969-70 season
1969-70 NBA season
The 1969–70 NBA Season was the 24th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the New York Knicks winning the NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
, Smith was traded by the Royals to the San Francisco Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. Smith's NBA career ended following the 1970-71 season
1970-71 NBA season
The 1970–71 NBA season was the 25th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Milwaukee Bucks winning the NBA Championship, beating the Baltimore Bullets 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...
, after which he played one season in the American Basketball Association with the Virginia Squires
Virginia Squires
The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...
.
Smith's career highlights include his surprising winning of the 1966 NBA All-Star Game
1966 NBA All-Star Game
GAME 16: at Cincinnati, Jan. 11, 1966MVP: Adrian SmithCoaches: East: Red Auerbach, West: Fred Schaus.-Eastern Conference: -Western Conference: -Score by Periods: *Halftime— East, 63-36*Third Quarter— East, 101-68*Officials: Norm Drucker and John Vanak...
MVP in which he scored 24 points in 26 minutes of play (assisted, literally, by his regular-season teammate Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
), and his league- leading free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
percentage of 90.3% in the 1966-67 season
1966-67 NBA season
The 1966–67 NBA Season was the 21st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Philadelphia 76ers winning the NBA Championship, beating the San Francisco Warriors 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals, ending the Boston Celtics' record title run at 8.- Notable occurrences :*...
.
After eleven seasons of playing professional basketball Smith entered the banking industry, where he worked as a Commercial Relationship Manager for Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bank is a U.S. regional banking corporation, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and is the principal subsidiary of holding company Fifth Third Bancorp ....
as of August 2010.
External links
- NBA stats @ databasebasketball.com
- One-on-One with Adrian Smith