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Jabari Montsho Smith Jr. (born May 13, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Auburn Tigers.

Jabari Smith Jr.

Smith with the Auburn Tigers in 2022.
No. 1 – Houston Rockets
Position	Power forward
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(2003-05-13) May 13, 2003 (age 19) Fayetteville, Georgia, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school	Sandy Creek (Tyrone, Georgia)
College	Auburn (2021–2022)
NBA draft	2022 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Playing career	2022–present
Career history
2022–present	Houston Rockets
Career highlights and awards
Consensus second-team All-American (2022) Wayman Tisdale Award (2022) NABC Freshman of the Year (2022) First-team All-SEC (2022) SEC Freshman of the Year (2022) SEC All-Freshman Team (2022) McDonald's All-American (2021) Jordan Brand Classic (2021) Nike Hoop Summit (2021) Mr. Georgia Basketball (2021)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals Men's basketball Representing  United States FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship 2019 Brazil Team

Born in Fayetteville, Georgia to former professional basketball player Jabari Smith Sr., Smith began playing basketball at a young age under his fathers mentorship. Smith would attend Sandy Creek High School, where as a senior he would lead the team to a state championship appearance. In high school, Smith was named a McDonald's All-American and Mr. Georgia Basketball. A five star prospect ranked the nations number 7 overall recruit, Smith committed to Auburn University to play college basketball. As a freshman at Auburn, Smith helped to lead the team to their first ever AP poll number one ranking and an SEC regular season championship. At the conclusion of his freshman year, Smith was named an All-American, and won the USBWA National Freshman of the Year Award. Following his freshman season, Smith would declare for the 2022 NBA Draft and was selected by the Rockets with the 3rd overall pick.

Early life and high school career

Smith was born on May 13, 2003 in Fayetteville, Georgia to Jabari Smith Sr. and Taneskia Purnell. His father played college basketball at LSU, and had a five year career in the NBA for the Kings, 76ers and Nets, before playing overseas in Spain, Turkey, Iran and Puerto Rico.[1] Smith began playing basketball at age 5, and was trained by his father.[1] His father while in the NBA had noticed the arrival of tall international players with strong shots, and decided to mold Smith as a player that despite his tall height, would win with shooting rather than with size.[2] At the age of 15, Smith would join the Atlanta Celtics on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit, coached by the father of star Auburn point guard Jared Harper.[2][3]

Smith started playing varsity basketball as a sophomore at Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Georgia.[4] As a junior, he averaged 24.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game.[5] In his senior season, Smith averaged 24 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks per game, leading his team to a Class 3A state runner-up finish. He was named Mr. Georgia Basketball, Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution All-Classification Player of the Year.[6][7][8] Smith was selected to the rosters for the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit.[9]

Recruiting

Smith was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2021 class.[10][11][12] On October 9, 2020, he announced his commitment to play college basketball for Auburn University over offers from Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Upon his commitment he became the highest ranked player to commit to Auburn in the modern recruiting era.[13] Smith has said that he committed to Auburn due to his fit within the teams play style under head coach Bruce Pearl, proximity to home and because the school could provide him a more traditional college experience than he would get elsewhere.[1][13]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jabari Smith Jr. PF	Fayetteville, GA	Sandy Creek (GA)	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Oct 9, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 97
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 7  247Sports: 7  ESPN: 6
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Auburn 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 3, 2021. "2021 Auburn Tigers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 3, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 3, 2021.

College career

Smith made his college debut against Morehead State in a 77–54 victory for the Tigers. On January 11, 2022, on the road against fierce rival Alabama, Smith scored a then career-high 25 points to help the Tiger's avoid an upset in an 81-77 victory.[14] On February 16, 2022, Smith recorded a career-high 31 points on just 16 shots in an 94–80 victory over Vanderbilt.[15] As a freshman, he averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and two assists per game while helping lead the Tigers to an SEC regular season championship and the programs first ever #1 ranking in the AP poll.[16] In his NCAA Tournament debut against Jacksonville State, Smith recorded his 6th double-double of the season scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.[17] In the third round of the tournament Smith would record another double-double but would also have his worst shooting performance of the season going 3-of-16 from the field as the #2 seeded Tigers were upset by #10 seeded Miami 79-6, ending the Tigers season.[18] At the conclusion of his freshman season, Smith was awarded many honors including being named the SEC Freshman of the Year, a member of the All-SEC first team and a second-team All American, the Tigers first All American selection since Chris Porter.[19][20] On April 5, 2022, Smith declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[21] Smith was projected as a projected top-three selection in the 2022 NBA draft and the potential first pick.[21]

Professional career

Houston Rockets (2022–present)

Prior to the 2022 NBA Draft, Smith was believed by analysts and insiders to be the number one overall pick, with Smith even saying that he would be surprised not to be picked #1 by the Magic.[22][23][24] However Smith would fall to the third overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft where he was selected by the Houston Rockets, making him the highest draft pick to ever come out Auburn, surpassing Chris Morris and Chuck Person who were drafted 4th overall.[25][26] He made his summer league debut with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal in a 91–77 loss against the Orlando Magic.[27] On October 2, 2022, Smith made his preseason debut, scoring 21 points with 5-of-8 shooting from three along with eight rebounds and two assists in a 134–96 win against the San Antonio Spurs.[28][29][30] On October 19, 2022, Smith made his regular season debut, scoring 17 points along with seven rebounds and an assist in a 117–107 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.[31] On October 24, Smith scored his first double-double points in the regular season with 21 points by shooting 6-to-10 shots and nine rebounds in a 114-106 victory over the Utah Jazz.[32]

Player profile

Standing at 6 feet and 11 inches (2.11 meters) with a 7-1 feet wingspan and weighing 220 pounds (93.6 kilograms), Smith predominately plays the power forward position. Smith's length makes him a versatile player on both offense and defense. He often utilizes jab-steps to help create space for his jump shot and has range out to the three-point line, shooting 42% from three-point range in college. On defense, he is mobile on the perimeter and physical inside, making him a candidate to defend big men but also switch comfortably onto guards. Smith was noted for his instincts and quick hands, averaging a block and a steal per game in college. Many sources and scouts compared his play making style to that of other big men such as Rashard Lewis, Chris Bosh, Michael Porter Jr., and Kevin Durant.[1][33][34][35]

Scouts noted that Smith's main weakness on offense entering the draft is his ball handling, as he often times struggles to generate offense off of the dribble.[34]

National team career

Smith played for the United States at the 2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Belém, Brazil. He averaged 13.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and helped the United States win the gold medal.[36]

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

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2021–22	Auburn	34	34	28.8	.429	.420	.799	7.4	2.0	1.1	1.0	16.9

Personal life

Smith's father, Jabari, played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for four seasons and competed professionally overseas. He has one older brother, named A.J [3] Smith's distant cousin, Kwame Brown, was the first overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft and played in the NBA for 13 seasons.[4]

References

External links

• Auburn Tigers bio
• USA Basketball bio

На других языках

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[de] Jabari Smith

Jabari Montsho Smith Jr. (* 13. Mai 2003 in Fayetteville) ist ein US-amerikanischer Basketballspieler. Er wurde beim Draftverfahren der NBA im Juni 2022 an dritter Stelle ausgewählt. Zuvor spielte er ein Jahr an der Auburn University.

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- [en] Jabari Smith Jr.

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[es] Jabari Smith Jr.

Jabari Montsho Smith Jr. (Fayetteville, Georgia; 13 de mayo de 2003) es un jugador de baloncesto estadounidense que pertenece a la plantilla de los Houston Rockets de la NBA. Jugó en la universidad de Auburn Tigers, donde fue All-American. Fue seleccionado en la tercera posición del Draft de la NBA de 2022 por los Houston Rockets.

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