Derek Smith

Derek Ervin Smith (November 1, 1961 – August 9, 1996) was an American professional basketball player. He won a national championship with the Louisville Cardinals in 1980, and spent nine years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in a career shortened by a knee injury. Smith went on to become an assistant coach for the Washington Bullets from 1994 until his death two years later.

Early life Derek Smith grew up in Corinth, Georgia and attended high school in the nearby city of Hogansville. He won two state basketball championships with Hogansville High School, yet was not included in any college recruiting publication.

Smith was first recruited by Louisville Cardinals assistant coach Bill Olsen at the age of 15. He was recommended to Olsen by the college's football player Kenny Robinson, who had also grown up in the Hogansville area.

Professional career

Golden State Warriors

Smith was selected 35th overall, 13th in the second round, by the Golden State Warriors in the 1982 NBA draft. The rookie played sparingly, was used as a power forward The Georgia native closed out the last 20 games of his season as the team's starting shooting guard and averaged 17.3 points per game.

Smith's play saw considerable improvement in the 1984–85 season, during which he averaged 22.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He received the Player of the Week award three times during the season and was considered a worthy candidate for the 1985 NBA All-Star Game by certain fellow players and journalists.

Smith started off the next season averaging 27.1 points per game in the first nine contests of the season, however, suffered a cartilage tear in his left knee.

Latter career years

With the relationship between Smith and the Clippers souring, the guard signed a 5-year offer sheet with the Sacramento Kings. However, hobbled by injuries and tendinitis in his left knee, Smith struggled to stay on the court and fulfill the expectations the franchise had placed on him. Smith managed to participate in the contest thanks to a knee injection, and his contribution drew heavy praise from teammate Larry Bird.

Death In August 1996, Smith went on a cruise on the Norwegian Cruise Line ship MS Dreamward for season ticketholders of the Bullets and the Washington Capitals. He took his family along. Smith and then-Bullets player Tim Legler volunteered to hold basketball clinics during the cruise.

On August 9, 1996, while the ship was near Bermuda and returning to New York City, Smith suffered an apparent massive heart attack during a farewell cocktail party in the presence of members of his team. Ship medics attempted to resuscitate him for 25 minutes before declaring him dead.

Smith was buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky. His funeral was attended by the Bullets team and several former teammates.

Family Smith was married to Monica, with whom he had two children: a daughter, Sydney, and a son, Nolan. Nolan played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils and was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers. In 2010, like his father 30 years before him, Nolan made it to the NCAA D-I tournament; Nolan and his Duke Blue Devils won the National Championship, just as Derek and his Louisville Cardinals had done in 1980. Nolan has a tattoo of his father on his right arm.

In April 2022, Nolan joined the coaching staff at his father's alma mater.

Career statistics

NBA Source

Regular season

Playoffs