 Smith (left) andWilt Chamberlain battle for a rebound, circa 1971 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1949-05-09)May 9, 1949 (age 75) Macon, Georgia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Ballard-Hudson (Macon, Georgia) |
| College | Kentucky State (1968–1971) |
| NBA draft | 1971: 1st round, 3rd overall pick |
| Selected by theBuffalo Braves | |
| Playing career | 1971–1979 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 3 |
| Career history | |
| 1971–1973 | Buffalo Braves |
| 1973–1975 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1975–1977 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1977–1979 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 7,541 (13.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 5,962 (10.6 rpg) |
| Blocks | 1,183 (2.9 bpg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Elmore Smith (born May 9, 1949) is an American former professionalbasketball player born inMacon, Georgia. A 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)center fromKentucky State University, he played in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) from 1971 to 1979. He was a member of theBuffalo Braves,Los Angeles Lakers,Milwaukee Bucks, andCleveland Cavaliers.
Smith was born in Macon, Georgia, and was a graduate ofBallard-Hudson High School in Macon.
As a 5-11 high school freshman, he didn't make the team. But after sprouting to 7 feet over the next two years, Smith said, "The principal threatened me: 'If you don't go out for basketball, we're going to kick you off campus.' "[1]
Making the team but rarely playing, Smith had only three scholarship offers "just by being tall and coordinated," he said. He originally enrolled atWiley College, but he was told his playing time would be limited. So, he transferred to Kentucky State.[1]
Smith attendedKentucky State University. He is listed among the top rebounders in college basketball. He was a member of the 1970 and 1971 NAIA Championship teams, coached by Lucias Mitchell, playing alongside teammateTravis Grant. He holds the NAIA record for most rebounds in a season (799 rebounds in 1971), and tops the NCAA All-Division list.[1]
In 1968–1969, Smith averaged 14.8 points and 19.8 rebounds. In 1969–1970 he averaged 21.6 points and 22.7 rebounds and in 1970–1971, he averaged 25.5 points and 24.2 rebounds, leading Kentucky State to NAIA Championships his last two seasons.[2]
After compiling career averages of 21.3 points and 22.6 rebounds, Smith left for the NBA his senior year in 1971.[2]
Smith was drafted by theBuffalo Braves in the 1st round (3rd pick) of the 1971 NBA Draft on March 29, 1971.[3]
In his first season, Smith averaged 17.3 points per game and 15.2 rebounds per game, playing alongsideBob Kauffman, and was named to theNBA All-Rookie Team.[3] His rebounding average for that season is the eighth-highest ever recorded by an NBA rookie.
In 1972–1973, he averaged 18.3 points and 12.4 rebounds for the Braves. Then, on September 12, 1973, he was traded by the Braves to theLos Angeles Lakers forJim McMillian.[3]
With the Lakers in 1973–74, Smith averaged 12.5 points with 11.2 rebounds and a league leading 4.9blocked shots.[4] The 1973–1974 season was the first in which blocked shots were officially recorded by the NBA, and Smith set a still-standingleague record of 17 blocks in a game against Portland on October 28, 1973.[5] On the other hand, Smith, who missed more than half of hisfree throw attempts during the regular season, had an unusual performance in a, in a 106 to 89 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on December 28, 1974, when he failed in three consecutive shots from the free throw line (under the now defunct ""three to make two" rule in the NBA at the time) with all three attempts being an "air ball" where the ball basketball failed to hit the basket, the rim or the backboard.[6]
In 1974-75 Smith averaged 10.9 points and 10.9 rebounds with 2.9 blocks for the Lakers. On June 16, 1975, Smith was part of a historic trade. He was traded by the Los Angeles Lakers withJunior Bridgeman,Dave Meyers andBrian Winters to theMilwaukee Bucks forKareem Abdul-Jabbar andWalt Wesley.[3]
After 34 games with Milwaukee in 1975–76, Smith was traded on January 13, 1977, withGary Brokaw to theCleveland Cavaliers forRowland Garrett, a 1977 1st round draft pick (Ernie Grunfeld was later selected) and a 1978 1st round draft pick (George Johnson was later selected).[3]
In 1976–77, Smith averaged 12.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks for the 43–39 Cavaliers under CoachBill Fitch.[7]
Smith was plagued by a knee injury, that required surgery, and played in only 24 games for Cleveland in 1978–79, the last of his career.[8][9]
Smith is best remembered for his shot-blocking, earning him the nickname "Elmore the Rejector". He led the league in total blocked shots twice (in1974 and1975), and holds the NBA record for most blocked shots in a game since 1973, with 17.[10] He achieved this mark against thePortland Trail Blazers on October 28, 1973, while playing for the Lakers. Smith's average of 4.85 blocks per game from the 1973–74 season (the first season blocked shots were officially recorded in the NBA) is the third highest ever. He was also a skilledrebounder, and he averaged adouble-double (13.4 points, 10.6 rebounds) over the course of his career.
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971–72 | Buffalo | 78 | - | 40.8 | .454 | - | .534 | 15.2 | 1.4 | - | - | 17.3 |
| 1972–73 | Buffalo | 76 | - | 37.2 | .482 | - | .558 | 12.4 | 2.5 | - | - | 18.3 |
| 1973–74 | Los Angeles | 81 | - | 36.1 | .457 | - | .590 | 11.2 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 4.9* | 12.5 |
| 1974–75 | Los Angeles | 74 | - | 31.6 | .493 | - | .485 | 10.9 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 10.9 |
| 1975–76 | Milwaukee | 78 | - | 36.0 | .518 | - | .632 | 11.4 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 15.6 |
| 1976–77 | Milwaukee | 34 | - | 23.2 | .447 | - | .581 | 6.1 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 8.4 |
| 1976–77 | Cleveland | 36 | - | 18.8 | .504 | - | .519 | 6.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 8.7 |
| 1977–78 | Cleveland | 81 | - | 24.6 | .497 | - | .663 | 8.4 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 12.5 |
| 1978–79 | Cleveland | 24 | - | 13.8 | .531 | - | .692 | 4.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 6.5 |
| Career | 562 | - | 31.8 | .482 | - | .579 | 10.6 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 2.9 | 13.4 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–74 | Los Angeles | 5 | - | 34.2 | .477 | - | .706 | 10.6 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 19.2 |
| 1975–76 | Milwaukee | 3 | - | 34.7 | .556 | - | .667 | 7.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 14.7 |
| 1976–77 | Cleveland | 3 | - | 18.7 | .545 | - | .625 | 8.0 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 13.7 |
| 1977–78 | Cleveland | 2 | - | 28.0 | .458 | - | .500 | 9.5 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 12.5 |
| Career | 13 | - | 29.8 | .500 | - | .654 | 9.1 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 15.8 | |
Smith is the father of three daughters.[1]
Smith started a barbecue sauce business in 2006 after years of making sauces for family and friends. His sauces are served at Elmore Smith's Smokehouse Restaurant located in Cleveland'sRocket Mortgage FieldHouse or online.[11][1]
Smith has remained in the Cleveland area and is frequently seen at Cavalier games.[12]
and Basketball Reference