Rhonda Banchero

Rhonda Smith-Banchero (; born May 1, 1973) is an American former basketball player. She played college basketball for the Washington Huskies where she graduated as the school's all-time leading scorer and was inducted to the Husky Hall of Fame in 2004.

Amateur career Smith-Banchero attended Franklin High School in Seattle. She led the school's basketball team to the semifinals of the state playoffs in 1988 and 1989. She holds the record for most rebounds in a Washington state playoff game. Her senior season, she was named state high school girls' basketball player of the year by the Seattle Times and Gatorade. In her final three seasons, Smith-Banchero topped the Huskies in points and rebounds and led to the NCAA tournament, winning at least one home game each tournament appearance. Her senior year, she was named an All-American by Basketball America.

Professional career After college, Smith played professional basketball in Taiwan before joining the Seattle Reign of the American Basketball League.

Career statistics

WNBA career statistics

Regular season

College

Post-playing career After her playing career ended, Smith-Banchero worked as a software-licensing consultant for Microsoft. As of 2025, she is the director of organizational equity and inclusion at Downtown Emergency Service Center in Seattle.

Personal life Smith-Banchero grew up in the Mount Baker neighborhood of Seattle, where she still lives.

Smith-Banchero is the mother of NBA All-Star Paolo Banchero. Smith-Banchero helped her son file a lawsuit in 2019 against the King County Sheriff’s Office after an officer pointed a gun at a friend of his during a traffic stop after a concert in 2018. Paolo Banchero was in the passenger seat of the vehicle during the interaction. The sheriff's office apologized to the two African American high-school students and implemented new use-of-force guidelines to be used when its officers approach motorists. Paolo Banchero received $20,000 from the lawsuit. Giulio Banchero plays football at O'Dea High School.