They say basketball never stops, but for Joe Smith—once the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft—the game has evolved, not just in style, but in spirit.
When I caught up with Smith, our conversation flowed from buzzer-beaters at Cameron Indoor to the chaos of the Latrell Sprewell-P.J. Carlesimo dust-up. But above all, what emerged was a picture of a humble hooper who’s lived through it all—legends, letdowns, and lessons.
“I played with Kobe, Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James…” Smith lists casually. “A lot of those guys, I learned a lot from—preparation, knowledge, what they bring to the table. It was a GREAT journey for me.”
FROM DUKE DAGGER TO DRAFT DAY DESTINY
Long before Smith became an NBA journeyman, he put Maryland basketball back on the map. That 40-point, 20-rebound explosion at Duke still makes him beam.
“We didn’t have cell phones back then,” he laughs. “When we got back, the dorm phones were ringing off the hook!”
Draft night? A blur. But that Golden State workout?
“Might’ve been one of the best workouts I ever had… I kind of left them with no choice.”
And while his name was called first, Smith never took that for granted.
“Whenever we played each other, we greeted each other with love… but once that ball got tossed up, we went against each other like brothers in the backyard.”
THE SPREWELL INCIDENT: WHAT REALLY WENT DOWN
Smith was at ground zero for one of the NBA’s most infamous locker room moments: the altercation between Latrell Sprewell and P.J. Carlesimo.
“We were doing shooting drills… Spree was passing to Mugsy [Bogues] and P.J. yelled, ‘Make better passes!’ Things escalated. P.J. came at him a second time, more aggressive… and that’s when all hell broke loose.”
But Smith is clear: the media missed the bigger picture.
“It wasn’t just one moment. It was something built up through training camp… and if you look at the press conference, ALL the players were behind Spree. We knew what was going on.”
ON THE COURT WITH LEGENDS
Smith’s career reads like a roll call of greatness. Kobe, AI, LeBron, KD, KG, Iguodala… he’s played with and againstthem all.
He shared a particularly vivid Kobe moment:
“We’re in practice before the Mavs series. I asked, ‘Kobe, what are the defensive schemes?’ He goes, ‘Naw, we just go out there and play! I am the defense!’” Smith chuckles. “That was eye-opening.”
About LeBron?
“He reminds me a lot of Magic. His vision, how he makes everyone better… He’s my favorite player to watch today.”
THE MINNESOTA MISUNDERSTANDING
Smith’s controversial under-the-table contract arrangement with the Timberwolves still follows him.
“People assume it was my fault, but I was just as much an innocent bystander… I was 23, trusting my agent and the GM. I had no idea it was illegal.”
The aftermath?
“Either sit out a year or go play elsewhere—so I went to Detroit, then came back. But it wasn’t on me.”
Minnesota, though, was home.
“We had a crew—KG, Malik Sealy (RIP), Terrell Brandon. It was a brotherhood.”
THE VETERANS, THE YOUNG STARS, AND THE NEW ERA
Smith sees flashes of his former teammates in today’s game. From Brook Lopez’s evolution mirroring Zydrunas Ilgauskas, to Garland and Mitchell’s nod to the AI-Larry Hughes dynamic. And he’s a huge fan of Wembanyama.
“Wemby’s size gives him the edge. He’s more offensively refined than KG was as a rookie… but that just shows how the game’s changed.”
On coaching styles, Smith has perspective few possess—having played for both P.J. Carlesimo and Larry Brown.
“Larry was different. It was all fundamentals—layups, cones, reverse spins. And he wasn’t as aggressive. He just wanted effort.”
THE FINAL STOPS AND FINAL REFLECTIONS
Los Angeles left a lasting impression.
“It was my final stop and one of the best… The Lakers did everything first class. It was about making sure players could focus on ball and not the outside noise.”
As he looks back, Joe Smith doesn’t duck the “what-ifs.”
“I wish I’d kept an eye on my finances more. That’s number one. And number two, I would’ve worked harder. I let the business of basketball take the fun out of the game sometimes.”
Still, for a player who came in with massive expectations and left with two decades of stories, there’s no shortage of respect—on the court or off.
Joe Smith might’ve been the No. 1 pick, but his humility, his insight, and his stories? They’re first-class.
