Russ Smith: The big screen, bourbon, and beyond

A look inside the former Louisville basketball star’s continued successes on and off the court.

Merely six years removed from his illustrious career donning the Louisville basketball red and black, Russ Smith is just getting warmed up.

One of the most prolific scorers in program history has checked the boxes in his athletic career: overlooked prospect turned NCAA Champion turned pro, but now Smith also has his sights set on other enterprises: The Russ Smith Foundation, a budding rap career, the bourbon industry, and Tinseltown to name a few.

Since being a second-round pick in the NBA draft in 2014, he has been playing basketball professionally all around the globe, even becoming NBL-China scoring champion in 2017 and 2019, so it’s safe to say there’s plenty of juice left untapped in that keg. But what many people don’t know about “Russdiculous” is that he has had bigger plans beyond the hardwood since he began his professional career.

The philanthropist

Since the death of Breonna Taylor, many activists and celebrities alike have pitched in on the efforts to honor her. One of which was Smith himself, alongside Louisville Councilwoman Donna Purvis and attorney Nick Wilson.

In August, the trio, in accordance and conjunction with Metro Parks, embarked on renovation and revitalization plans for one of Louisville’s most desolate parks. Lannan Memorial Park, is located in the Portland Neighborhood in Louisville’s West End next to the McAlpine Locks and Dams on the Ohio River. It is rundown and underutilized, leaving ample room for an upgrade.

The plans are aimed at the basketball court. It will finally be expanded to regulation size and will feature a mural honoring the late Taylor. These improvements will be sure to attract more attendees and families.

The Artist

Smith has had his hands in several cookie jars. One of his many talents is his possession of an artistic mind.

In recent years, he has been eyeing Hollywood. He has been tweeting about an upcoming movie titled “Under Rated” as early as 2015.

The film is a bio-style drama documenting his life as an overlooked basketball prospect and everything he had to overcome to arrive at the point of success as an athlete.

Other than family members, more notably the movie stars veteran actor Malik Whitfield, well-known for his roles in “Notorious” and a starring role as Otis Williams in the 1998 miniseries “The Temptations”.

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The film features scenes from his basketball career, life as a kid on the streets of New York City, situations from his high school days, and relationships with his friends and family. Smith’s father, who also has an acting role, had been in contact with Netflix recently about promoting the film.

Other than the silver screen, Smith has been dabbling in other areas of artistry. Over the Summer, he released a song with none other than Hip-Hop legend Lil Wayne and Damion Lillard, produced by producer extraordinaire DJ Envy. His album, called “Boss”, also features Nappy Roots, Swizz Beatz, and Jadakiss. Everything he touches seems to turn to gold.

He has worked in over 400 studios worldwide, and since 2018 has flirted with the possibility of a showcase at Louisville’s indigenous music festival “Forecastle”.

Outside of the studio, he has a “Rick and Morty”-esque cartoon in the works about a resilient scoring champion that overcomes obstacles and breaks through barriers in some pretty elaborate ways. Sound familiar?

His girlfriend is also an artist. She currently has some of her work on display in Downtown Louisville’s Omni Hotel.

The Entrepreneur

Perhaps one of the most exciting components to Smith’s surfeit of talents and interests is his prosperous submergence into the portal that is the bourbon whiskey universe.

His “Russdiculous“ brand of bourbon is one of, if not the most highly-anticipated bottles in the history of the city of Louisville. In his Twitter and Instagram posts in recent years, he has promised a “tasty spirit”.

Smith’s “Mr. Russdiculous” design has a description on it that reads:

Genuine bourbon distilled with positivity in Kentucky. This batch of bourbon was aged in wooden barrels until fully mature. Bottled by hand…alc/vol 114.3 proof.

What’s next for Russ Smith?

If it’s not basketball-related, the former Louisville basketball star should be just fine.