Al Smith

Alan Otis Smith (January 15, 1947 – December 19, 2022) was an American basketball player who played for five seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA). A point guard during his career, he played for the Denver Rockets and Utah Stars and once led the ABA in assists in a season.

Early life Smith was born in Peoria, Illinois. He also attended Manual High School in Peoria. Smith played basketball, football, and baseball at Manual, earning All-State honors in all three sports. His baseball skill was such that the Chicago White Sox drafted him in the 7th round of the inaugural Major League Baseball draft in 1965. Instead of signing with the White Sox, he opted to attend college.

Smith was given offers to attend USC and Notre Dame, but he chose to attend Bradley University as a basketball and baseball player. Smith spent four years at Bradley, though his time in college was interrupted by a two-year stint in the United States Army. As a college basketball player, he scored over 1,000 points for Bradley and was named first team All-Missouri Valley Conference in 1971 during his senior season. previously, he was also drafted by the Bulls in the 10th round of the 1969 draft. He was also a 4th round draft pick of the American Basketball Association's Denver Rockets (now the NBA's Nuggets) in a separate draft. Smith chose to sign with the Rockets, and he would go on to play for the club for three seasons. while averaging nine points and three assists per game.

Utah Stars Before the 1974–1975 season, Smith was traded to the Utah Stars in exchange for a draft pick and cash. In his first season with the Stars, he averaged a career-low eight points per game, while also averaging four-and-a-half assists per contest. A persistent knee injury eventually ended his career after five seasons.

Post-basketball life Smith went on to become a social worker in Denver, also working at a cable television supply company. For a year-and-a-half, he served as an assistant head coach at Manual High School, helping lead the school to two state championships. As of 2007, Smith was working in Paterson, New Jersey, as a school counselor.