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Smith’s transition from NBA basketball player to studio analyst was “truly
accidental to be honest.” According to Smith, he was invited by Turner Sports to be a
studio analyst after his team lost in the playoffs several years ago and was encouraged to
pursue commentating as a career. “The rest is history.”
Smith is definitely making his own contribution to the
broadcasting field. In the studio, he teams up well with host Ernie Johnson and analysts
Charles Barkley and Peter Vecsey who, along with the Turner producers, Smith credits for
the broadcast’s success. As to his individual achievement as a studio analyst, he
modestly points to his ability to keep it real. “The same way I talk at home, in the
locker room and with my friends, is the same way I talk on television. I don’t change
anything. I don’t try to be an announcer or an analyst. I just give my perspective.
It’s funny because my brothers, cousins and friends say, ‘you say the same thing
[on TV that you] say at home.’ I think people want to have a former player’s
perspective about the game and what people are saying in the huddle. I always used to
watch baseball games and when the pitcher and catcher go to the mound, I always wondered
‘what are they saying up there?’ I’m trying to tell you what they’re
saying.”
“The relationships” are what Smith likes most about broadcasting. “When I
was a player, my relationships were with the eleven guys on my team. Now, my relationships
are with every player on every team.” Moreover, Smith appreciates his capacity to
impact everyday conversation. “[Commentating] not only puts me around [the game], but
it gives me the voice of the game ... What I have to say [affects] people’s ideas and
conversational topics. That’s fun.”
“Relationships” and “team” are concepts that Smith learned from Coach
Dean Smith at Carolina. Like all Tar Heels, Smith remains “very close to the
program” and keeps in contact with players - Jerry Stackhouse, Vince Carter, and
others - that he didn’t even play with. That’s a prime example of a Tar Heel: if
you’re in the family, you’re part of the “team.” The concept is such a
part of Smith that he uses it as a baseline for analyzing games. He said, “I
don’t look at stat sheets. I can watch a game and see who played well.” Speaking
of team, Smith is pleased that his former teammate, Matt Doherty, is leading the esteemed
Carolina program. “He has the pulse of what Carolina basketball is all about and what
everyone expects from us…I’m glad to see the beat goes on.”
During his down time, Smith is involved in - surprise - basketball. “For me,
I’ve been a fan of basketball before I was good at it. So, I’m probably the most
boring person because of that. (There he goes again pulling my leg!) I watch games.
I’m a basketball fan. I’ve been a fan since I was seven years old. I used to
collect cards and get autographs and chase players down. And then, all of a sudden I got
good at it… At about 12 or 13 years old, I started to realize that I’m a little
bit better than a lot of kids.” A classic understatement for a guy who earned two NBA
championship rings with the Houston Rockets in 1994 and 1995.
Watch out. Smith has “basketball’s answer to [CBS’s] Survivor.” Drum
roll. It’s the Ultimate Streetball Challenge (USBC) sponsored by Smith and New York
City streetball aficionado Rock Bunce. Press releases bill the July event as “the
definitive event for the underground players around the world” and “where the
worlds of sports, music, fashion and entertainment collide!” The televised event will
showcase teams, some celebrity-owned (e.g., Shaquille O’Neal, Sean “Puffy”
Combs, and Master P) and some international (e.g., Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Europe).
Included in the mix will be bona fide streetballers from famed playgrounds like New York
City’s Rucker Park, Chicago’s Chicago Land, and Los Angeles’ Venice Beach.
The teams vying for the one million dollar prize money will have to “put up or shut
up,” proclaims the press releases. The last team standing wins the loot. Whew! I
think July in Hotlanta just got hotter.
M
April 2001
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Courtesy
Turner Sports