Robert Smith (basketball)
Robert Leroy Smith (born March 10, 1955) is an American retired basketball player. A 5'11" point guard born in Los Angeles, California and from UNLV, where as a member of the fabled "Hardway Eight" coached by the legendary Jerry Tarkanian, took UNLV to its first NCAA Final Four. Smith played for seven NBA teams in as many seasons from 1977 to 1984.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 10, 1955 Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Crenshaw (Los Angeles, California) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1977 / Round: 3 / Pick: 65th overall |
| Selected by the Denver Nuggets | |
| Playing career | 1977–1992 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 5, 10, 9 |
| Career history | |
| 1977–1979 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1979 | Utah Jazz |
| 1979–1980 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1980 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1981–1982 | Montana Golden Nuggets |
| 1982 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1982 | San Diego Clippers |
| 1982–1983 | Montana Golden Nuggets |
| 1983 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 1983–1984 | Toronto Tornados |
| 1984 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1984–1985 | Toronto Tornados |
| 1985–1989 | AS Monaco |
| 1989–1992 | Olympique Antibes |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
He was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the 1977 NBA Draft in the third round.
On November 17, 1978, while playing for the Denver Nuggets, Smith scored a career-high 19 points vs the Boston Celtics. In October 1979 he was traded by the Denver Nuggets to Utah Jazz and in November he was signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Nets
Smith currently was coaching AAU basketball at the Bill and Lilly Heinrich YMCA in Las Vegas, NV with fellow UNLV teammate and lifelong friend, "Sudden" Sam Smith. Suffered a stroke in 2019 and is still recovering.
