18 July 2022
Stephen Smith played basketball in college and probably in high school too. He never made it to the big leagues and only got near the NBA teams thanks to his job as a reporter, but he definitely played basketball and was a good player at that!
We don’t know much about the early life of Stephen Smith. We do know he received a basketball scholarship after his first year of college, and he focused more on his journalistic endeavors than he did on playing ball (and that was a fine choice considering how far he went as a TV personality).
Because of that, we know Stephen Smith played basketball, and even though he was good at it, he decided to pursue other interests in his professional life. While he never became a pro, he covers the NBA (and other sports) and lives a fine life thanks to his job.
Was Stephen A. Smith a good basketball player?
Stephen Smith was a basketball player during his college years – and a pretty good player at that! While he never made it to the big leagues, he received a basketball scholarship to attend Winston-Salem State University. Would a poor basketball player receive a scholarship? Of course not!
California is full of great ball players, and receiving a scholarship from a Californian state university is proof you were good. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean Stephen A. Smith was NBA material.
His height might’ve hindered him from making the cut: Smith is 6’1, and the average NBA player is 6’6. You can probably guess how important height is to become a professional ball player. Because of his stature, you could say Stephen A. Smith wasn’t tall enough to ride.
Then again, that doesn’t speak of his abilities as a basketball player! He simply wasn’t tall enough to enter the incredibly competitive world of the NBA. More likely than not, he can still pull a few tricks when he visits the court to ball.
Is Steve Smith a Hall of Famer basketball player?
That depends on who you’re talking about! Steve Smith, a former basketball player, is part of the Hall of Fame that belongs to Michigan State – but not the NBA Hall of Fame. Nevertheless, Steve Smith is not the same person as Stephen A. Smith, the famous guy you see on TV talking about sports. Stephen isn’t in the NBA Hall of Fame either, though.
Why isn’t Stephen A. Smith a Hall of Famer? Well, it’s not that difficult to see that you have to be a great basketball player to become a Hall of Famer – and Stephen A. Smith played college ball alone and thus never made it to the NBA.
There’s a funny coincidence when it comes to Stephen A. Smith and Hall of Famers: while he never got in the Hall of Fame, his former college coach, Clarence Gaines, was a Hall of Famer, so you can say he had Hall of Famer experience at least. At the same time, Stephen meets and talks with Hall of Famers all the time because of his job.
What teams did Stephen A. Smith play for?
The only important team Stephen A. Smith ever played basketball for was Winston-Salem State. Keep in mind that’s college basketball and not the NBA. Stephen never went pro but started his journalistic career covering the Philadelphia 76ers.
Before you think Smith wasn’t a good ball player, remember he got a basketball scholarship to join Winston-Salem State University. While that may not seem like a big thing (like playing for the NBA would be), it’s a huge deal considering how competitive college ball scholarships are. They don’t give them away just because, especially if it means going to college for free or with your expenses paid for.
Nevertheless, Stephen A. Smith never made it to the big leagues. He only played for one college team, and after that, he turned his efforts into becoming a TV star. You could say he made the right decision because of how wealthy and famous he is.
As a Sports TV personality, Stephen probably became more involved with basketball than he ever would’ve if he had tried to become a pro ball player.
