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Malachi Smith (basketball)

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Malachi Smith
Memphis Hustle
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (1999-12-06) December 6, 1999 (age 24)
Evansville, Indiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2023: undrafted
Playing career2023–present
Career history
2023–2024Rip City Remix
2024Wisconsin Herd
2024–presentMemphis Hustle
Career highlights and awards

Malachi Knight-Smith (born December 6, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Wright State Raiders, Chattanooga Mocs, and Gonzaga Bulldogs.

High school career

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Smith started playing high school basketball at Belleville High School-East in Belleville, Illinois before transferring to Belleville High School-West for his senior season.[1] At Belleville West, he averaged 15.5 points alongside E. J. Liddell and helped his team win its first Class 4A state title.[2] Smith committed to playing college basketball for Wright State in November 2017, choosing the Raiders over Lindenwood, Montana State and Denver.[3]

College career

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As a freshman at Wright State, Smith averaged 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, earning Horizon League All-Freshman Team honors. For his sophomore season, he transferred to Chattanooga and sat out for one year due to transfer rules.[4] Smith averaged 16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, earning First Team All-Southern Conference (SoCon) honors from the league's coaches, in his first year with the team.[5] He declared for the 2021 NBA draft before returning to college.[6] On November 18, 2021, he scored a career-high 36 points in an 87–76 loss to Murray State.[7]

At the close of his sophomore season, Smith was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year by both the league's coaches and media.[8]

Professional career

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Rip City Remix (2023–2024)

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After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Smith joined the Portland Trail Blazers for the 2023 NBA Summer League[9] and on October 2, 2023, he signed with them.[10] However, he was waived on October 10[11] and on October 30, he joined the Rip City Remix of the NBA G League.[12]

Wisconsin Herd (2024)

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On January 12, 2024, Smith was traded to the Wisconsin Herd for Jazian Gortman.[13]

Memphis Hustle (2024–present)

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On October 9, 2024, Smith was traded to the Memphis Hustle.[14]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Wright State 35 0 15.1 .435 .222 .820 2.9 1.7 .8 .1 5.4
2019–20 Chattanooga Redshirt Redshirt
2020–21 Chattanooga 25 25 35.8 .460 .383 .802 8.8 3.3 1.5 .2 16.8
2021–22 Chattanooga 35 34 35.4 .493 .407 .827 6.7 3.0 1.7 .1 19.9
2022–23 Gonzaga 37 1 20.8 .536 .500 .792 3.6 1.4 .9 .0 8.7
Career 132 60 26.0 .485 .410 .815 5.2 2.3 1.2 .1 12.3

Personal life

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Smith's mother, Connie, served in the United States Air Force for 12.5 years and is currently an ALT Administrator at Ascension. His parents divorced when he was six years old, and he was subsequently raised by his mother. Smith's grandfather, Larry Knight, played professional basketball and was a first-round draft pick by the Utah Jazz.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Halfacre, Paul (February 24, 2018). "Smith has Belleville West ready for next step". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  2. ^ Scott Jr., Maurice (February 20, 2019). "Malachi Smith making his way at Wright State". The St. Louis American. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  3. ^ Eschman, Todd (November 7, 2017). "Belleville West guard doesn't wait for signing period to announce college choice". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  4. ^ Criddle, Dean (June 19, 2019). "Belleville West graduate Malachi Smith transfers to Tennessee-Chattanooga". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  5. ^ "Season Review: Smith Sets New Standard". University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics. June 10, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  6. ^ Nyman, Rick (July 8, 2021). "Mocs Malachi Smith and David Jean Baptiste Enjoyed NBA Draft Process". WDEF-TV. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  7. ^ "Brown carries Murray State past Chattanooga 87-76". USA Today. Associated Press. December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  8. ^ "All-SoCon men's basketball teams announced" (Press release). Southern Conference. March 2, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  9. ^ "Trail Blazers Announce NBA 2K24 NBA Summer League 2023 Roster". NBA.com. June 30, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  10. ^ "Trail Blazers Sign Five Players". NBA.com. October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  11. ^ "Trail Blazers Sign George Conditt". NBA.com. October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  12. ^ Holdahl, Casey [@CHold] (October 30, 2023). "The @ripcityremix begin training camp for their inagural [sic] season today at the @trailblazers practice facility. Here's who they're taking into camp..." (Tweet). Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ "WISCONSIN HERD ACQUIRE MALACHI SMITH". NBA.com. January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  14. ^ "Memphis Hustle complete six-team trade". NBA.com. October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  15. ^ Archdeacon, Tom (October 23, 2018). "Freshman guard hopes to live up to his name at Wright State". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
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