Joshua LaTrell Smith (born May 14, 1992) 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 Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka of the Japanese B.League. He began his

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 ...

career with the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF ...

before transferring in the middle of his third season, finishing his career with the

Georgetown Hoyas The Georgetown Hoyas are the collegiate athletics teams that officially represent Georgetown University, located at Washington, D.C. The Georgetown's athletics department fields 24 men's and women's varsity level teams and competes at the Natio ...

. Smith was a highly regarded center playing basketball in high school in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. He led his team to a state title, and he received multiple individual honors, including

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

' state player of the year. He attended college at

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

(UCLA), where he was one of the top freshman players in the Pac-10 Conference. He struggled with his weight at UCLA, and he quit the team in the middle of his junior year. He transferred to Georgetown, where he played two seasons. After college, he played two seasons in the NBA Development League (known now as the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

) before playing overseas in the Philippines and Japan.

Early life

Smith was born in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

and grew up in

Kent, Washington Kent is a city in King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area, Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan area and had a population of 136,588 as of the 2020 Unit ...

. He was already tall at age five. In the eighth grade, he wrote a report on

UCLA Bruins basketball The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program represents the University of California, Los Angeles, in the sport of men's basketball as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Established in 1919, the program has won a record 11 NCAA titles. Coach Joh ...

coach

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, nati ...

, and afterwards became a fan of UCLA. Smith learned to use his height and weight to his advantage while playing for his

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 ...

(AAU) team, the Seattle Rotary, and then at Kentwood High School. He was in his freshman year, and grew each year until he stood by the end of his junior season. As a senior, he averaged 23.2

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

, 15

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

and four assists, and led Kentwood to Washington's Class 4A title. He was named Washington's player of the year by

and earned

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 ...

honors and selection into the

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 ...

. He was ranked by

ESPN RISE ''ESPN HS'' was a high school sports magazine published monthly during the school year in 25 markets around the United States. Founded as ''SchoolSports'' magazine in 1997, the publication changed its name to ''RISE'' in 2006 and was purchased ...

as the No. 1 center recruit in the nation;

Rivals.com Rivals.com (stylized as ''rivals'') is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was found ...

ranked him at No. 3, and Scout.com ranked him as No. 4. Smith considered staying home and attending the nearby

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

, but he said he "couldn't pass up the opportunity" to attend the

(UCLA).

College career

UCLA

At Smith's first practice with UCLA, coach

Ben Howland Benjamin Clark Howland (born May 28, 1957) is an American college basketball coach who most recently served as the men's head coach at Mississippi State University from to 2015 to 2022. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Northern Ar ...

expressed excitement over Smith's length and size. "When he is planted on the block, you're not moving him," he said. However, Howland was concerned about Smith's mobility, as he weighed after losing over the summer. Smith provided UCLA an inside game they had lacked in recent years. He played in 33 games in

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, starting in 15, and averaged 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds in 21.7 minutes. He was named to the Pac-10 Conference's All-Freshman team, and showed tremendous potential. However, he had foul trouble and struggled with his conditioning. After starting 13 of his first 15 games, he came off the bench in the next 16 to avoid fouling out. He became a dominant presence late in the season as the Bruins advanced to the third round of the 2011 NCAA tournament. In his last four games, including starts in both tournament games, Smith averaged 13 points and 27 minutes a game. UCLA was eliminated 73–65 by the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

. Afterwards, a fatigued Smith said, "I let my team down today." Howland thought Smith had a future playing professionally in 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), "provided he does certain things." The coach believed Smith would work on improving his conditioning. Entering his sophomore year, Smith was generally considered a favorite to be named All-Pac-10. However, he did not do much to improve his game in the offseason, and he began 2011–12 at roughly the same size if not larger; his conditioning affected his production. His playing time declined, and his fouls per 40 minutes went from a suspect 5.8 as a freshman to an awful 7.3. Smith's average that season fell to 9.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 17.2 minutes a game. As his fitness level deteriorated, he was not able to play for extended periods of time, and was instead rotated in for two- or three-minute stints. Smith played a total of just 17 minutes in two Pac-10 tournament games. In spite of his fitness and focus issues, some coaches in the

Pac-12 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

(the Pac-10 had expanded by then) considered him the conference's top NBA prospect. He showed improved discipline entering his junior season, having lost since the end of the previous season. His goal was to play 25 to 30 minutes a game. Citing "personal reasons", Smith quit UCLA after six games of their 2012–13 season. He averaged 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 13.5 minutes, as his production dropped after each season at UCLA. He was the 11th player to leave the UCLA program since 2008; in early 2012, ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' reported a lack of discipline at UCLA under Howland.

Georgetown

Smith transferred to

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

, enrolling in January 2013. He practiced with the Hoyas basketball team, but was not allowed to play due to

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) transfer rules. He was granted eligibility by the NCAA to play in 2013–14. Listed at , he labored up and down the court, and was limited to playing a few minutes at a time. After playing in the Hoyas first two conference games, Smith missed the remaining 20 games of the season after January 4, 2014, due to academic ineligibility. At the time of his last game, the Hoyas were 10–3, and Smith was averaging 11.5 points but only 3.4 rebounds in 20 minutes. The team was 8–12 in his absence, finishing the season 18–15. Smith regained his eligibility prior to the 2014–15 season. He bounced back nicely, and was named one of 15 candidates for the inaugural

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate center. Following the success of the Bob Cousy Award which had been awarded sinc ...

, given to the top center in college basketball. He finished the season ranked second on the team in scoring (10.8) and rebounding (5.8), and was invited to the

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, (PIT), is the only postseason camp restricted to college basketball seniors. The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-Draft (sports), draft camps, the other being the Orlando pre-Draft (sport ...

Professional career

NBA D-League

After going undrafted in the

2015 NBA draft The 2015 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2015, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...

, Smith played with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

in the

2015 NBA Summer League The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three professional sports, pro basketball sports league, leagues organized by the National Basketball Association, NBA: the Orlando Magic, Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas S ...

. On September 21, 2015, he signed with 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) ...

. After appearing in seven preseason games, he was waived on October 24 in the Rockets' final round of cuts before the regular season. On November 2, 2015, Smith was acquired by the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won f ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

as an affiliate player of the Rockets. As a rookie in 2015–16, he averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 45 games for the Vipers. As the season progressed, Smith's weight increased and his playing time fell, and he was nearly cut by the Vipers. During the 2016 offseason, Smith dropped to after working out with a new trainer in preparation for the

Las Vegas Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

. In July 2016, he joined the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

summer league team. On October 31, 2016, he was reacquired by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Overseas

On May 17, 2017, Smith signed with

TNT KaTropa The TNT Tropang 5G is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The fran ...

of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

(PBA). On August 21, 2017, Smith signed with

Kyoto Hannaryz The Kyoto Hannaryz (京都ハンナリーズ ''Kyōto Hannarīzu'') are a Japanese basketball team playing in Kyoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Kyoto Prefecture has a popul ...

of the B.League. In May 2018, Smith returned to TNT KaTropa to replace

Jeremy Tyler Jeremy Miles Tyler (born June 21, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Gigantes de Carolina of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). Tyler was drafted with the 39th pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Charlotte Bobcats b ...

. On July 27, 2018, Smith signed with

Toyama Grouses The Toyama Grouses (富山グラウジーズ,''Toyama Guraujīzu'') are a Japanese basketball team, playing in the second division of the B.League. They are based in Toyama Prefecture. Head coaches *Masato Fukushima *Takatoshi Ishibashi *Charle ...

of the B.League. On June 19, 2019, Smith re-signed with Toyama Grouses. On July 15, 2020, Smith re-signed with Toyama Grouses. On June 18, 2021, Smith re-signed with Toyama Grouses. On May 23, 2022, Smith re-signed with Toyama Grouses. On September 17, 2023, Smith signed with

Nagoya Diamond Dolphins The are a professional basketball team that competes in the first division of the Japanese B.League. Prior to their entry into the B.League in September 2016, the club was the corporate team of Mitsubishi Electric. In 2020, the Diamond Dolphi ...

of the B.League. On June 18, 2024, Smith signed with Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka of the B.League.

Career statistics

Professional

, - , align="left" , 2015–16 , align="left" ,

NBA D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

, 45 , , 16.5 , , .615 , , .000 , , .660 , , 4.7 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .6 , , 8.9 , - , align="left" , 2016–17 , align="left" ,

TNT Katropa The TNT Tropang 5G is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The fran ...

, PBA , 15 , , 24.4 , , .580 , , .000 , , .535 , , 11.2 , , 2.6 , , .9 , , 1.0 , , 19.1 , - , align="left" , 2017–18 , align="left" ,

, B.League , 58 , , 23.6 , , .650 , , .000 , , .631 , , 9.4 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , .6 , , 16.8 , - , align="left" , 2018 , align="left" ,

, PBA , 8 , , 30.6 , , .711 , , .000 , , .618 , , 11.4 , , 2.8 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , 17.8 , - , align="left" , 2018–19 , align="left" ,

, B.League , 62 , , 31.6 , , .656 , , .000 , , .672 , , 10.7 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 19.7 , - , -class=sortbottom , align="center" colspan=2 , Career , All Leagues , 188 , , 24.9 , , .642 , , .000 , , .637 , , 8.9 , , 2.2 , , .8 , , .6 , , 16.1

College

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

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

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, 33 , , 15 , , 21.7 , , .555 , , — , , .613 , , 6.3 , , .6, , .8 , , 1.0 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 9 , , 17.2 , , .574 , , — , , .590 , , 4.9 , , .4 , , .6 , , .7 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

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

, 6 , , 0 , , 13.5 , , .611 , , — , , .474 , , 4.2 , , .3 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;", Georgetown , 13 , , 13 , , 19.9 , , .655 , , .000 , , .635 , , 3.4 , , .7 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;", Georgetown , 33 , , 32 , , 20.5 , , .621 , , — , , .646 , , 5.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 10.8 , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 117 , , 69 , , 19.5 , , .591 , , .000 , , .613 , , 5.3 , , .7 , , .8 , , .8 , , 10.4

References

External links

Georgetown bioUCLA bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Joshua 1992 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Japan American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American men's basketball players Basketball players from Seattle Centers (basketball) Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball players Kentwood High School (Washington) alumni Kyoto Hannaryz players McDonald's High School All-Americans Nagoya Diamond Dolphins players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Philippine Basketball Association imports Rio Grande Valley Vipers players TNT Tropang 5G players Toyama Grouses players UCLA Bruins men's basketball players 21st-century American sportsmen Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka players