Derek Ervin Smith (November 1, 1961 – August 9, 1996) was an American professional basketball player. He won a national championship with the Louisville Cardinals in 1980, and spent nine years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in a career shortened by a knee injury. He would later become an assistant coach for the Washington Bullets from 1994 until his death.
Smith is sometimes credited with popularizing the term "high five" during the 1979–80 basketball season.[1]
Smith was selected 35th overall, 13th in the second round, by the Golden State Warriors in the 1982 NBA draft. After his rookie season, he was waived by the Warriors and became a free agent. At the request of Portland Trail Blazers general manager Stu Inman, Smith received a try out with the San Diego Clippers. After impressing Clippers head coach Jim Lynam, Smith was offered a contract for the 1983–84 season.[2] He would play for the San Diego / Los Angeles Clippers from 1983 to 1986. He averaged 22 points per game in 1984–85. In the next season, he averaged 23.5 points per game, but he was limited to 11 games because of a knee injury followed by mononucleosis.[3][4] He played for the Sacramento Kings from 1986 to 1989, for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1989 and 1990, and for the Boston Celtics in 1991. During his NBA career, he scored over 5,000 points.
In August 1996, Smith went on a cruise on the Norwegian Cruise Line ship MS Dreamward for season ticketholders of the Bullets and the Washington Capitals. He took his family along. Smith and then-Bullets player Tim Legler volunteered to hold basketball clinics during the cruise.
On August 9, 1996, while the ship was near Bermuda and returning to New York City, Smith suddenly suffered an apparent massive heart attack during a farewell cocktail party in the presence of members of his team. Ship medics attempted to resuscitate him for 25 minutes before declaring him dead.
Derek was married to Monica (who has since remarried), with whom he had two children: a daughter, Sydney, and a son, Nolan. Nolan played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils and was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers. In 2010, like his father 30 years before him, Nolan made it to the NCAA D-I tournament; Nolan and his Duke Blue Devils won the National Championship, just as Derek and his Louisville Cardinals had done in 1980. Nolan has a tattoo of his father on his right arm.
In April 2022, Nolan joined the coaching staff at his father's alma mater.[7]
^Mitch Lawrence (September 1, 1996). "Death of a Driven Man – Derek Smith's Mysterious Passing Claims True Competitor". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
^. ESPN. March 31, 2010. Archived from the original on April 3, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
^"Report: Duke men's basketball assistant coach Nolan Smith to become associate head coach at Louisville". The Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
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Derek Ervin Smith November 1 1961 August 9 1996 was an American professional basketball player He won a national championship with the Louisville Cardinals in 1980 and spent nine years in the National Basketball Association NBA in a career shortened by a knee injury He would later become an assistant coach for the Washington Bullets from 1994 until his death Derek SmithSmith circa 1986Personal informationBorn 1961 11 01 November 1 1961Hogansville GeorgiaDiedAugust 9 1996 1996 08 09 aged 34 On board MS Norwegian DreamNationalityAmericanListed height6 ft 6 in 1 98 m Listed weight205 lb 93 kg Career informationHigh schoolHogansville Hogansville Georgia CollegeLouisville 1978 1982 NBA draft1982 Round 2 Pick 35th overallSelected by the Golden State WarriorsPlaying career1982 1991PositionShooting guard Small forwardNumber41 18 21 43Coaching career1994 1996Career historyAs player 1982 1983Golden State Warriors1983 1986San Diego Los Angeles Clippers1986 1989Sacramento Kings1989 1990Philadelphia 76ers1990 1991Boston CelticsAs coach 1994 1996Washington Bullets assistant Career highlights and awardsNCAA champion 1980 Metro Conference Co Player of the Year 1981 2x First team All Metro Conference 1980 1981 Career NBA statisticsPoints5 232 12 8 ppg Rebounds1 300 3 2 rpg Assists866 2 1 apg Stats at NBA comStats at Basketball Reference com Contents 1 Career 2 Death 3 Family 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksCareer EditSmith attended the University of Louisville from 1979 to 1982 He was a member of the 1980 University of Louisville Cardinals basketball team which won the NCAA championship defeating UCLA 59 54 Smith is sometimes credited with popularizing the term high five during the 1979 80 basketball season 1 Smith was selected 35th overall 13th in the second round by the Golden State Warriors in the 1982 NBA draft After his rookie season he was waived by the Warriors and became a free agent At the request of Portland Trail Blazers general manager Stu Inman Smith received a try out with the San Diego Clippers After impressing Clippers head coach Jim Lynam Smith was offered a contract for the 1983 84 season 2 He would play for the San Diego Los Angeles Clippers from 1983 to 1986 He averaged 22 points per game in 1984 85 In the next season he averaged 23 5 points per game but he was limited to 11 games because of a knee injury followed by mononucleosis 3 4 He played for the Sacramento Kings from 1986 to 1989 for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1989 and 1990 and for the Boston Celtics in 1991 During his NBA career he scored over 5 000 points Smith became an assistant coach for the Washington Bullets in 1994 Death EditIn August 1996 Smith went on a cruise on the Norwegian Cruise Line ship MS Dreamward for season ticketholders of the Bullets and the Washington Capitals He took his family along Smith and then Bullets player Tim Legler volunteered to hold basketball clinics during the cruise On August 9 1996 while the ship was near Bermuda and returning to New York City Smith suddenly suffered an apparent massive heart attack during a farewell cocktail party in the presence of members of his team Ship medics attempted to resuscitate him for 25 minutes before declaring him dead Smith was buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville Kentucky His funeral was attended by the Bullets team and several former teammates 5 6 Family EditDerek was married to Monica who has since remarried with whom he had two children a daughter Sydney and a son Nolan Nolan played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils and was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers In 2010 like his father 30 years before him Nolan made it to the NCAA D I tournament Nolan and his Duke Blue Devils won the National Championship just as Derek and his Louisville Cardinals had done in 1980 Nolan has a tattoo of his father on his right arm In April 2022 Nolan joined the coaching staff at his father s alma mater 7 See also Edit Biography portalList of second generation NBA playersReferences Edit Jack Welch December 2000 50 Things Every Louisvillian Should Know Louisville Magazine Archived from the original on 2011 07 13 Retrieved 2009 12 16 Best week also worst week for Jim Lynam The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky 14 August 1996 p 16 Retrieved 5 June 2021 Sam McManis Mononucleosis Stops Derek Smith Clippers Win Los Angeles Times March 13 1986 Sports 3 Derek Smith basketball reference Mitch Lawrence September 1 1996 Death of a Driven Man Derek Smith s Mysterious Passing Claims True Competitor New York Daily News Retrieved April 3 2010 Outside the Lines Smith Following In Father s Footsteps ESPN March 31 2010 Archived from the original on April 3 2010 Retrieved April 3 2010 Report Duke men s basketball assistant coach Nolan Smith to become associate head coach at Louisville The Chronicle Retrieved 2022 04 05 External links EditNBA amp College stats Derek Smith at Find a Grave Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Derek Smith basketball amp oldid 1125327800, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
