Rik Smits (born 23 August 1966), nicknamed "the Dunking Dutchman" is a Dutch former 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 who spent his entire career with 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 ...

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). The center was drafted by the Pacers out of

Marist College Marist University is a private university in Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Marist was founded by the Marist Brothers, a Catholic Church, Catholic religious institute, in 1905 to prepare brothers for their ...

with the second overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft. An

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

in 1998, Smits reached the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

Early life and college career

Smits was born in

Eindhoven Eindhoven ( ; ) is a city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, located in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant, of which it is the largest municipality, and is also locat ...

. He started playing basketball at age 14 at PSV–Almonte in Eindhoven. Smits left for the United States in 1984, where he played for

for four years. In 1986, Smits led Marist to the ECAC Metro Conference tournament Championship and advanced to play in their first NCAA tournament in school history. In 1987, he led the Red Foxes to 20 wins for the first time in its Division I history and another appearance in the NCAA tournament. Smits briefly appeared in the 1988 film ''

Coming to America ''Coming to America'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed by John Landis, based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, and starring Murphy (in various roles), Arsenio ...

'' during a scene filmed in 1987 while Marist played against St. John's at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

. Smits was drafted second overall in the 1988 NBA draft by the

, becoming the first Marist player to play in the

NBA 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 ...

. In 2012, his jersey was retired by Marist.

NBA career

He spent his entire professional career playing for the

. With the Pacers, Smits originally backed up Steve Stipanovich, but when Stipanovich suffered a career-ending injury, Smits ended up starting 71 games in his rookie year, averaging 11.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and earning All-Rookie First Team honors. Smits continued to average double-digit point totals in every year of his career, but it wasn't until the

1993–94 NBA season The 1993–94 NBA season was the 48th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the Houston Rockets defeating the New York Knicks 4 games to 3 in the 1994 NBA Finals, NBA Finals to win the franchise's first champ ...

that Smits really came into his own as a team leader. Throughout the Pacers' playoff runs in the mid and late 1990s, Smits was considered the number two player, behind

Reggie Miller Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, played his entire 18-year career in the National Basketball Assoc ...

, on the deeply talented Pacers. Smits' highest point-per-game average was in 1995–96 when he averaged 18.5 points per game. That season, on December 10, Smits scored a career-high 44 points during a 111–104 win over the

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

. He was relatively modest by NBA "superstar" standards, but the Dutchman endeared himself to Pacers fans with outstanding playoff performances, most notably in Game 4 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals, where he made a buzzer-beating shot to tie the series. Smits was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team in 1998, delivering ten points, seven rebounds and four assists, including a behind-the-back pass to

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 ...

forward Jayson Williams who followed immediately with a slam dunk. Smits developed nerve damage in his feet from wearing tight shoes as a teenager. To help recover during the off-season, he spent time relaxing at his summer retreat in Walton, New York, where he was a regular attendee of The Afton Fair. Foot problems hobbled Smits for the majority of his career, and he retired at the conclusion of the Pacers' 1999–2000 season, after Indiana was defeated by 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 ...

in the

4 games to 2. After four surgeries to repair nerve damage to his feet, Smits underwent intensive back surgery in November 2009 to correct cracks in one joint that link his vertebrae. Smits has also undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and had bone chips removed from his left ankle. Smits was selected to the Pacers' 40th Anniversary Team, chosen by the fans. He ended up with the fourth most votes, trailing only

Mel Daniels Melvin Joe Daniels (July 20, 1944 – October 30, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Minnesota Muskies, Indiana Pacers, and Memphis Sounds, and in the National Bas ...

and Jermaine O'Neal.

National team career

Smits has also played for the senior Netherlands national team. He played in the

1986 FIBA World Championship The 1986 FIBA World Championship was the 10th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. It was hosted by Spain and was held from 5 to 20 July 1986. The final phase of the tournament was hel ...

and EuroBasket 1987.

Life after the NBA

After his retirement, Smits has devoted his time to collecting and racing vintage

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

motorcycles A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

. On 30 November 2011, Smits was featured in

Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from Stats Perform. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. ...

, about his formal participation in competitive

racing. In 2008 Smits won the AHRMA Vintage National Premier 500 Intermediate Class riding a BSA 500. In 1998, near the end of his playing career, Smits bought a home in the Indianapolis suburb of

Zionsville, Indiana Zionsville is a suburban town located in the extreme southeast area of Boone County, Indiana, Boone County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. The population was 14,160 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and 30,693 at t ...

, and continued to live in the home for nearly 20 years, expanding it in 2014 to include a regulation-size basketball half-court. Smits used two barns on the property to house his motorcycles and cars, and built a dedicated motorcycle track in the rear of the property. He and his girlfriend put the property up for sale in the summer of 2017, shortly after they moved to Arizona.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, 82 , , 71 , , 24.9 , , .517 , , .000 , , .722 , , 6.1 , , .9 , , .4 , , 1.8 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 29.3 , , .533 , , .000 , , .811 , , 6.2 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , 2.1 , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 38 , , 22.2 , , .485 , , , , .762 , , 4.7 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 1.5 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , 55 , , 23.9 , , .510 , , .000 , , .788 , , 5.6 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , 1.4 , , 13.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 81 , , 25.6 , , .486 , , , , .732 , , 5.3 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , .9 , , 14.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 75 , , 27.1 , , .534 , , .000 , , .793 , , 6.2 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 78 , , 30.5 , , .526 , , .000 , , .753 , , 7.7 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 17.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 63 , , 63 , , 30.2 , , .521 , , .200 , , .788 , , 6.9 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .7 , , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 52 , , 52 , , 29.2 , , .486 , , .250 , , .797 , , 6.9 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 1.1 , , 17.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 69 , , 28.6 , , .495 , , .000 , , .783 , , 6.9 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , 1.2 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 49 , , 49 , , 25.9 , , .490 , , .000 , , .818 , , 5.6 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 1.1 , , 14.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 79 , , 23.4 , , .484 , , .000 , , .739 , , 5.1 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 1.3 , , 12.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 867 , , 792 , , 26.6 , , .507 , , .115 , , .773 , , 6.1 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 1.2 , , 14.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 21.0 , , .429 , , , , 1.000 , , 7.0 , , 4.0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , , 10.0

Playoffs

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

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

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

, 3 , , 3 , , 32.0 , , .500 , , , , .818 , , 5.3 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 1.3 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

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

, 5 , , 0 , , 17.6 , , .568 , , , , .875 , , 3.6 , , .4 , , .2 , , 1.4 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

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

, 3 , , 1 , , 9.3 , , .364 , , , , 1.000 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , .7 , , .3 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

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

, 4 , , 4 , , 35.8 , , .578 , , .000 , , .727 , , 8.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 22.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

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

, 16 , , 16 , , 28.1 , , .472 , , , , .806 , , 5.3 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , .6 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

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

, 17 , , 17 , , 32.1 , , .547 , , 1.000 , , .804 , , 7.0 , , 2.0 , , .3 , , .8 , , 20.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

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

, 5 , , 5 , , 33.2 , , .545 , , , , .786 , , 7.4 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .4 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

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

, 16 , , 16 , , 29.8 , , .502 , , .000 , , .859 , , 5.3 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .9 , , 16.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

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

, 13 , , 13 , , 22.5 , , .456 , , , , .950 , , 5.0 , , .7 , , .5 , , 1.2 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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

, 22 , , 21 , , 21.0 , , .498 , , .000 , , .875 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .9 , , 11.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 104 , , 96 , , 26.4 , , .507 , , .250 , , .829 , , 5.2 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .9 , , 14.8

Personal life

Smits has two children, a daughter named Jasmine and son named Derrik. Jasmine Smits is currently the Player Relations Coordinator for the Indiana Pacers and the Pacers farm team Noblesville Boom. Derrik Smits, listed at and , who played for the

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus. The university is known for its Luthe ...

men's basketball team from 2016 to 2019 and played his final season of college eligibility in 2019–20 at

Butler University Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study within six colleges in the arts, business, communic ...

. Derrik was forced to

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

the 2015–16 season due to an injury, and began play the following season at Valparaiso. He graduated from Valparaiso in December 2018, taking graduate-level courses in the 2019 spring term to maintain his basketball eligibility; his graduation made him immediately eligible to play at Butler.

References

External links

NBA Bio & Stats

Where Are They Now? Rik Smits - ESPN Video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smits, Rik 1966 births Living people 1986 FIBA World Championship players Centers (basketball) Dutch expatriate basketball people in the United States Dutch men's basketball players Indiana Pacers draft picks Indiana Pacers players Marist Red Foxes men's basketball players NBA All-Stars NBA players from the Netherlands Sportspeople from Eindhoven Basketball players from North Brabant 20th-century Dutch sportsmen

Early life and college career

NBA career

National team career

Life after the NBA

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

See also

References

External links