Steve Smith Announces NBA Retirement After 14 Years
9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sept. 30, 2005
Press Conference Audio (Starts at 30 minutes)
Photo Gallery
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Former Michigan State All-American Steve Smith announced his NBA retirement on Friday, Sept. 30 at the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center on the Michigan State campus. The announcement took place in the auditorium of the building named in his mother's honor. Smith donated $2.5 million to the $7.5 million facility, which opened in 1998, the largest gift ever by a professional athlete to any college or university. The Smith Center is nationally recognized as the model for academic support.
Michigan State men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo served as emcee for the event. Speakers included MSU Board of Trustees Chairman David Porteous and Vice-Chairman Joel Ferguson, MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon, MSU athletics director Ron Mason, longtime friend and attorney Jack Davis, longtime friend and agent throughout his NBA career Dr. Charles Tucker, best friend and current basketball coach at Detroit Pershing, Smith's former high school, Vernon Richard, and Smith's coach at MSU, Jud Heathcote. Smith was introduced by his wife Millie and his sons, Brayden and Davis.
"I can say that the journey of basketball has ended, but the journey of the Steve Smith has begun." Smith explained. "I figure I could play some more, but that's me being an athlete. I think the biggest thing for me was that it was just time. It was time for me to come home and to spend more time with my family. It's not a job you can do forever, so in my heart I knew it was time to call it quits.
"Laying in bed as a kid you dream of what you want to be and to have that dream come true. I dreamed of playing basketball ... Whatever you dream, it can be obtained if you work hard enough. All you have to do is put in that extra effort."
Smith spent most of his retirement speech thanking the people who had meant so much to his development as a player and person over the years. He also indicated that there wasn't really any decision to be made when it came time to pick a place to announce his retirement. Even after 14 years in the NBA, the bond was still strong with Michigan State.
"The biggest thing I can say about pride at Michigan State University is when I know when you guys go to the NCAA Championship, there was really pretty much nothing, unless I was going to an NBA Championship that was going to stop me from going to that game, and it will be the same this year," Smith explained. "I'm going to be there to support you and I think that's what makes a family, and that is why Michigan State University is special. All Spartans get together; all Spartans come back and play; all Spartans remember.
"When I talk to a lot of guys from different universities, they never go back, they never even think about going back. I come back and tell stories about how I played and the young guys are getting better and better, and these guys say `We never get a chance to get together; we never go back to our universities.' I ask them `Why do you think so? You all don't have any pride, you don't have any history.' We have history here."
A native of Detroit, Mich., Smith scored 13,430 points in 14 NBA seasons, averaging 14.3 points per game. An NBA All-Star in 1998, he won the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1998 and the NBA Sportsmanship Award in 2002. The fifth pick in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat, Smith was named to the 1992 All-Rookie First Team. His career also included stops with the Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Hornets and Charlotte Bobcats. In 2003, Smith earned an NBA Championship ring with the Spurs.
A two-time All-America selection at Michigan State, Smith finished his career as the Spartans' all-time leading scorer with 2,263 points. (He currently ranks second.) As a junior, Smith was the recipient of the Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball Award, presented to the Big Ten MVP, after averaging 20.2 points and 7.0 rebounds for a Spartan squad that finished 28-6 and won the Big Ten Championship. In his senior season, Smith increased his scoring average to 25.1 points, leading the Spartans back to the NCAA Tournament. In addition to ranking second in career scoring, Smith ranks among the top five in six other Spartan career statistical categories, including scoring average (3rd, 18.5 ppg), field goals (3rd, 826), field-goal attempts (2nd, 1,623), 3-point field goals (5th, 147), free throws (3rd, 464) and free-throw attempts (1st, 614), while ranking eighth in career rebounds (740) and sixth in career assists (453). In 2001, Smith was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame, which is housed at the Smith Center. His jersey number 21 was retired on Jan. 2, 1999 and currently hangs in the rafters of the Breslin Center.
"It's important that we all remember where we're from, where we are and who helped us get there. Steve Smith has done that. He has remembered his family; he's remembered his friends. He's remembered Pershing High School and he's remembered Michigan State University." said Heathcote. "I'm proud to have been Steve Smith's coach, but I'm more proud to call him my friend."
As Izzo remarked, Smith's impact can still be measured on the Spartan program, particularly in the results produced in the Smith Center, which has assisted in 17 men's basketball players graduating since 2000.
"I do want to publicly say how much my program has benefited from what you have done for us," Izzo said to Smith. "We went, I think it was six or seven straight semesters with above a 3.0 point grade point average for a team. You can put all the academic universities in on that, but nobody ranks any higher and it's really because of the atmosphere that you've given us. The atmosphere that you have given us is something special."
With the current Spartan team in attendance, including four returning starters from the 2005 Final Four squad, Izzo paid Smith the ultimate complement.
"There are a lot of things that are said, but one thing that is always said about him on and off, is how he is a pro's pro," said Izzo. "A pro's pro is someone who handles himself on the court, off the court and every endeavor that he takes part in. I must say Steve, the biggest compliment I can give you is that you are a pro's pro."
Smith also excelled in international competition. In 2000, he won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in Sydney. He was also a part of the USA Basketball squads that went undefeated in the 1994 World Championships in Toronto and the 1999 Tournament of the Americas in San Juan. While at MSU, he participated in the 1989 World University Games.