Jabari Montsho Smith Jr. (born May 13, 2003) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) a ...

. Born in

Fayetteville, Georgia Fayetteville ( ; locally ) is a city in and the county seat of Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,957, up from 15,945 at the 2010 census. Fayetteville is located south of downtown ...

, to former professional basketball player Jabari Smith Sr., Smith began playing basketball at a young age under his father's mentorship. Smith attended Sandy Creek High School, where in his senior year the team made a state championship appearance. In high school, Smith was named a

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea. Brothers ...

and Mr. Georgia Basketball. A five star prospect ranked the nation's number seven overall recruit, he committed to

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

to play

. As a freshman at Auburn, Smith helped the team achieve 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 The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

, and won the USBWA National Freshman of the Year Award. Following his freshman season, Smith would declare for the

2022 NBA draft The 2022 NBA draft (branded as the 2022 NBA Draft presented by State Farm for sponsorship reasons), the 76th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New ...

and was selected by the

with the third overall pick. He is also a distant cousin of NBA player

Kwame Brown Kwame Hasani Brown (born March 10, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Selected first overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2001 NBA draft, Brown was ...

Early life

Smith was born on May 13, 2003, in

, to Jabari Smith Sr. and Taneskia Purnell. His father played

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

, and had a four-year career in the

(NBA) for the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

and

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

, before playing overseas in Spain, Turkey, Iran and Puerto Rico. Smith began playing

when he was five, and was trained by his father. His father while in the NBA had noticed the arrival of tall international players with strong shooting, and decided to mold Smith as a player that despite his tall height, would win with shooting rather than with size. At the age of 15, Smith would join the Atlanta Celtics on the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

circuit, coached by the father of star Auburn point guard

Jared Harper Jared Lamar Harper (born September 14, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who plays for Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Premier League. He played college basketball for the Auburn Tigers where he was the starting point guard on ...

. Smith started playing varsity basketball as a sophomore at Sandy Creek High School in

Tyrone, Georgia Tyrone is a town in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. The population was 7,658 in 2020. The estimated population in 2018 was 7,388. It is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. History The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Tyrone as ...

. As a junior, he averaged 24.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game. 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 The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls cross country, boys football, boys and girl ...

and ''

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...

'' All-Classification Player of the Year. Smith was selected to the rosters for the

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is an American all-star basketball game played each year for boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the hi ...

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school all star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys and girls in the senior class. In 2015, a girl's game was introduced. Th ...

and

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, Inc., Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international players. The players demons ...

and finished as a runner up for Mr. Basketball USA. Jabari Smith Jr

Smith was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2021 class. On October 9, 2020, he announced his commitment to play college basketball for

over offers from

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

and

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Upon his commitment he became the highest ranked player to commit to Auburn in the modern recruiting era. Smith has said that he committed to Auburn due to his fit within the teams play style under head coach

Bruce Pearl Bruce Alan Pearl (born March 18, 1960) is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head coach of the Auburn Tigers men's basketball team, where he is the school's all time leader in wins. He previously served in the same position ...

, the school's relatively close proximity to his hometown and because the school could provide him a more traditional college experience than he would get elsewhere.

College career

Smith entered his freshman season with high expectations due to his recruiting ranking. Smith emerged as a leader in preseason practice with coach Bruce Pearl describing him as "the hardest working player on the team." He made his college debut against

Morehead State Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky, United States. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-yea ...

in a 77–54 victory for the Tigers. On January 11, 2022, on the road against fierce rival

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

Smith scored a then career-high 25 points to help the Tigers avoid an upset in an 81–77 victory. On February 16, 2022, Smith recorded a career-high 31 points on just 16 shots in a 94–80 victory over Vanderbilt. 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. In his NCAA Tournament debut against Jacksonville State, Smith recorded his 6th

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the ter ...

of the season scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. In the second 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 Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

79–62, ending the Tigers season. At the conclusion of his freshman season, Smith was awarded many honors including being named the USBWA 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 in 1999. On April 5, 2022, Smith declared for the

, forgoing his remaining college eligibility. Smith was projected as a top-three selection in the

and the potential first pick.

Professional career

Houston Rockets (2022–present)

2022–23 season: Rookie season

Prior to the

, Smith was believed by many analysts and insiders to be the number one overall pick, with Smith even saying that he would be surprised not to be picked number one by the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

with ESPN's

Adrian Wojnarowski Adrian Wojnarowski (; born March 4, 1969), nicknamed Woj, is an American basketball executive and former sports columnist and reporter. During his years as an NBA insider for ESPN and Yahoo! Sports, he became one of the NBA's preeminent reporter ...

on the morning off the draft on Orlando plan's to finalize selecting Smith first overall . However the Magic ended up selecting

Paolo Banchero Paolo Napoleon James Banchero ( ; ; born November 12, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils men's basketbal ...

and Smith ending up being selected with third overall pick by the

, making him the highest drafted player to ever come out of Auburn, surpassing Chris Morris and

Chuck Person Chuck Connors Person (born June 28, 1964) is an American former basketball player and coach. Person played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was the 1987 NBA Rookie of the Year. Person played college basketball for the ...

whom were drafted 4th overall. The

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

promised if he was available Smith would be selected 2nd overall but they selected

Chet Holmgren Chet Thomas Holmgren ( ; born May 1, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A consensus five-star recruit and the top-ranked player of the 2021 class, Holmg ...

. He made his summer league debut with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal in a 91–77 loss against the

. 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 The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. On October 19, 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 The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. On October 24, Smith recorded his first 20+ point game with free 21 points by shooting 6-to-10 from the field with nine rebounds in a 114–106 victory over the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

, the Rockets first victory of the season. On December 2, Smith scored 17 points with six rebounds, one steal, and one blocked shot in a 122–121 victory against the Phoenix Suns. He finished by shooting 7-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. The outing was the sixth straight game in which Smith made at least three 3-pointers, the second-longest streak in history by a rookie. On December 23, he recorded his sixth double-double with 24 points by shooting 58.8% from the field and 3-of-8 from three with 10 rebounds in a loss against the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

. On January 13, 2023, Smith scored a then career-high 27 points with three blocks and eight rebounds in a game loss against the

. During a game against the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

on January 16, a mic’d up Smith informed

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

that “You played against

my dad "My Dad" is a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and performed by Paul Petersen. It reached #2 on the adult contemporary chart, #6 on the U.S. pop chart, and #19 on the U.S. R&B chart in 1963. It was featured on his 1963 album, ''My D ...

, your first NBA game ever... Sacramento.” On March 9, Smith grabbed 12 rebounds and set a then career-high 30 points in a 134–125 overtime loss to the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. On March 14, Smith scored 24 points by shooting 83.8 percent from the field with 5 threes made and 11 rebounds in a game win against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. In doing so, he became the first player in Rockets franchise to average 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in three straight games since

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NB ...

in 1985. On March 17, Smith made a game-winning three-pointer in a 114–112 win over the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. At the conclusion of his rookie season he was voted to the All-Rookie second team.

2023–24 season

On December 11, 2023, Smith scored a career high 34 points along with 13 rebounds in a 134–127 loss to the

. On March 24, 2024, Smith was suspended one game after being involved in an altercation with

guard

Kris Dunn Kristofer Michael Dunn (born March 18, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played four seasons of college basketball for the Providence Friars before b ...

2024–25 season

On January 3, 2025, Smith suffered a fractured hand during Houston's practice prior to their game against the

. He was subsequently ruled out for four-to-six weeks.

Player profile

Standing at 6 feet and 10 inches (2.08 meters) with a 7–1 feet wingspan and weighing 220 pounds (100 kilograms), Smith predominately plays the

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

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 defensive instincts and quick hands, averaging a

block Block or blocked may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting * W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...

and a

steal Steal, Stealer or Stealing may refer to: * Theft, the illegal act of taking another person's property without that person's freely-given consent * The gaining of a stolen base in baseball ** the 2004 ALCS stolen base in Game Four, see Dave Roberts ...

per game in college. Many sources and scouts have compared his play making style to other big men such as

Rashard Lewis Rashard Quovon Lewis (born August 8, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. Lewis entered the NBA directly from Alief Elsik High School. He rose to prominence in the NBA as a scorer with the Seattle SuperSonics, and was late ...

Chris Bosh Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. A Texas Mr. Basketball in high school, he played one season of college basketball for Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball, Georgia Tech ...

Michael Porter Jr. Michael Lamar Porter Jr. (born June 29, 1998), also known as "MPJ", is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Missouri Tigers. Porter ...

and

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Durant has won two List of NBA champions, NBA champ ...

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

National team career

Smith played for the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the

2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship The 2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship was the men's international basketball competition that was held in Belém, Brazil from 3 to 9 June 2019. The top four teams qualified for the 2020 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Bulgaria. Qual ...

Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará), often called Belém of Pará, is the capital and largest city of the state of Pará in the north of B ...

, Brazil. He averaged 13.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and helped the United States win the gold medal.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 79 , , 79 , , 31.0 , , .408 , , .307 , , .786 , , 7.2 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .9 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 76 , , 31.9 , , .454 , , .363 , , .811 , , 8.1 , , 1.6 , , .7 , , .8 , , 13.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 57 , , 39 , , 30.1 , , .438 , , .354 , , .825 , , 7.0 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .7 , , 12.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 212 , , 194 , , 31.1 , , .432 , , .340 , , .805 , , 7.5 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .8 , , 13.0

Playoffs

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, style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 0 , , 20.4 , , .500 , , .455 , , .800 , , 3.9 , , .6 , , .1 , , .7 , , 7.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 7 , , 0 , , 20.4 , , .500 , , .455 , , .800 , , 3.9 , , .6 , , .1 , , .7 , , 7.4

College

All statistics per

Sports Reference Sports Reference, LLC is an American sports statistics company that operates databases of several sports. They include Pro Football Reference for American football, Baseball Reference for baseball, Basketball Reference for basketball, Hockey ...

. , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , style="text-align:left;", 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 NBA for four seasons and competed professionally overseas. He has one older brother, named A.J. Smith's distant cousin,

, was the first overall pick in the

2001 NBA draft The 2001 NBA draft took place on June 27, 2001, in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player to be drafted with the first overall pick in the history of the NBA. The selection of Kwame Brown by the Washington Wizar ...

and played in the NBA for 13 seasons.

References

External links

Auburn Tigers bio

USA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Jabari Jr. 2003 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Auburn Tigers men's basketball players Basketball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Children of basketball players Houston Rockets draft picks Houston Rockets players McDonald's High School All-Americans Power forwards Sportspeople from Fayetteville, Georgia