Big Red Louie
Fansided

5 Louisville basketball stars who deserved more time in the NBA

By Jacob Lane

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 12: Russ Smith #2 of the Memphis Grizzlies and teammate Jeff Green #32 walk off the court after losing to the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center on March 12, 2015 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 12: Russ Smith #2 of the Memphis Grizzlies and teammate Jeff Green #32 walk off the court after losing to the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center on March 12, 2015 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – CIRCA 1993: LaBradford Smith #22 of the Washington Bullets shoots a free throw against the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game circa 1993 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Smith played for the Bullets from 1991-93. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** LaBradford Smith; Tim Hardaway
LANDOVER, MD – CIRCA 1993: LaBradford Smith #22 of the Washington Bullets shoots a free throw against the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game circa 1993 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Smith played for the Bullets from 1991-93. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** LaBradford Smith; Tim Hardaway /

4. LaBradford Smith

Drafted:1991, 19th overall (first round)

NBA Career: 1991-1994, 183 games played, 6.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.2 apg

Teams: Golden Washington Bullets, Sacramento Kings

As a younger fan whose first memory of Louisville basketball is Reece Gaines hitting three 3’s against Tennessee in the closing seconds of a dramatic win, players like Pervis Ellison, Darrell Griffith, Derek Smith, Rodney McCray and others from the incredible stretch during the 80s under Denny Crum aren’t as familiar to me as guys from the “Pitino era.” LaBradford Smith falls into the category, but thanks to the trusty ol’ interweb and good friends like Alan Thomas (the dude’s knowledge of the 80s/90s is unreal) it’s obvious that he deserves to be on this list.

Louisville hasn’t had a ton of first-round NBA picks (several of them will appear on this list) but when they did have had players make it, the success rate has been hit or miss. Many expected Smith to become a bonafide NBA star following his hall-of-fame caliber career at Louisville in which he became the program’s all-time leader in assists, second in steals, and eighth in scoring.

After being selected 19th overall by the Washington Bullets who just so happened to be coached by Louisville legend Wes Unseld and already featured Pervis Ellison, Smith showed flashes as a rookie and looked to be ready to step into a bigger role long-term.

That was confirmed in his second season with the Bullets, where he developed into a trusted scorer, averaging 9.3 points per game scoring in double digits 30 times (a career-high), including five games of 20 or more points.

Smith’s career highlight and what just about every basketball fan my age now knows him for was his infamous “Nice Game, Mike” comments that drew a ton of attention during the release of the Last Dance documentary highlighting the career of Michael Jordan.

As the story goes, Smith gave the Bulls 37 in the first of two back-to-back games in 1991 and after the game, he “reportedly” told MJ, “nice game.” The next night Jordan was so ticked off that he told his teammates to enjoy the night off, while he gave Smith 37 points in the first half and 46 overall in a 25-point win.

Those comments came with much discussion, to which Smith said “I didn’t say anything.”

Smith posted the best stat line of his short career during that season before he was ultimately replaced the following season thus being waived and signing with Sacramento. He’d only play 59 more games before bouncing out of the league, never to return.

Even to this day (and probably even more prominent), you see guys drafted highly who are anticipated to be a big part of the organization’s future only to be replaced or moved to a new team completely just a few years later. That’s exactly what happened with Smith, and once he was unable to outdo or even reach the level of production he showed in his second season, his chances were out.

Not being able to penetrate and get past defenders as he did in college really hurt the potential of his career long-term, but there’s no way to convince me or anyone else who watched him at Louisville that he shouldn’t have been a 10-12 year guy off of the bench.

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