Leon Smith (basketball): Difference between revisions
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Smith was raised in a foster home, called Lydia Children's Home, as a ward of the state of Illinois due to neglect from his parents when he was five years old.<ref>[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/thenetwork/news/1999/08/27/pageone_leonsmith/ Hard times for Leon Smith<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
Smith was raised in a foster home, called Lydia Children's Home, as a ward of the state of Illinois due to neglect from his parents when he was five years old.<ref>[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/thenetwork/news/1999/08/27/pageone_leonsmith/ Hard times for Leon Smith<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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Smith was selected out of Chicago's [[Martin Luther King High School (Chicago)|Martin Luther King High School]] by the [[San Antonio Spurs]] in the first round (29th overall) of the [[1999 NBA Draft]] and was immediately traded to the [[Dallas Mavericks]] in exchange for the draft rights to [[Gordan Giriček]] and a second-round pick in the [[2000 NBA Draft]]. However, in subsequent months he suffered numerous psychological problems, and was released in February 2000 without ever playing a game for the Mavericks.<ref>[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/news/2000/02/02/mavericks_smith_ap/ Mavericks release rookie Leon Smith<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> A month previous, Smith was released from a psychiatric ward to where he was committed for several weeks, after an incident in which he threw a rock through a car window and swallowed approximately 250 [[aspirin]] tablets.<ref>[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/news/2000/01/07/smith_update_ap/ Suspended Mavs rookie checks out of psychiatric ward<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
Smith was selected out of Chicago's [[Martin Luther King High School (Chicago)|Martin Luther King High School]] by the [[San Antonio Spurs]] in the first round (29th overall) of the [[1999 NBA Draft]] and was immediately traded to the [[Dallas Mavericks]] in exchange for the draft rights to [[Gordan Giriček]] and a second-round pick in the [[2000 NBA Draft]]. However, in subsequent months he suffered numerous psychological problems, and was released in February 2000 without ever playing a game for the Mavericks.<ref>[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/news/2000/02/02/mavericks_smith_ap/ Mavericks release rookie Leon Smith<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> A month previous, Smith was released from a psychiatric ward to where he was committed for several weeks, after an incident in which he threw a rock through a car window and swallowed approximately 250 [[aspirin]] tablets and would tell police officers, "I am an Indian fighting Columbus".<ref>[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/news/2000/01/07/smith_update_ap/ Suspended Mavs rookie checks out of psychiatric ward<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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In January 2002, Smith was signed by the [[Atlanta Hawks]] for whom he played 14 games. His short stint with the Hawks involved being waived, signed back a second time, and eventually being traded to the [[Milwaukee Bucks]], for whom he never played.<ref>[http://www.nba.com/hawks/news/Hawks_Transactions_Archive.html Hawks transactions archive<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
In January 2002, Smith was signed by the [[Atlanta Hawks]] for whom he played 14 games. His short stint with the Hawks involved being waived, signed back a second time, and eventually being traded to the [[Milwaukee Bucks]], for whom he never played.<ref>[http://www.nba.com/hawks/news/Hawks_Transactions_Archive.html Hawks transactions archive<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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Revision as of 08:24, 18 February 2015
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 2, 1980 Chicago, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Martin Luther King (Chicago, Illinois) |
| NBA draft | 1999: 1st round, 29th overall pick |
| Selected by the San Antonio Spurs | |
| Position | Power forward |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Leon Smith (born November 2, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the NBA, the CBA, the USBL and the IBL, and abroad in Puerto Rico and Argentina.
Smith was raised in a foster home, called Lydia Children's Home, as a ward of the state of Illinois due to neglect from his parents when he was five years old.[1]
Smith was selected out of Chicago's Martin Luther King High School by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round (29th overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft and was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Gordan Giriček and a second-round pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. However, in subsequent months he suffered numerous psychological problems, and was released in February 2000 without ever playing a game for the Mavericks.[2] A month previous, Smith was released from a psychiatric ward to where he was committed for several weeks, after an incident in which he threw a rock through a car window and swallowed approximately 250 aspirin tablets and would tell police officers, "I am an Indian fighting Columbus".[3]
In January 2002, Smith was signed by the Atlanta Hawks for whom he played 14 games. His short stint with the Hawks involved being waived, signed back a second time, and eventually being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, for whom he never played.[4]
Late in the 2003–04 NBA season, the Seattle SuperSonics signed Smith to a contract,[5] but he only played one game for them.
Notes
External links
- 1980 births
- Living people
- African-American basketball players
- American expatriate basketball people in Argentina
- Atlanta Hawks players
- Basketball players from Illinois
- Estudiantes de Bahía Blanca basketball players
- National Basketball Association high school draftees
- Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
- Power forwards (basketball)
- San Antonio Spurs draft picks
- Seattle SuperSonics players
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (CBA) players
- Sportspeople from Chicago, Illinois