CONCORD -- Here’s the truth: Ish Smith didn’t need an NBA title to cement his career.
During a storybook 13-year run in the world’s greatest basketball league, the 2006 Central Cabarrus graduate not only set an NBA record for most teams played for in a career (13), he just might’ve established himself as its unofficial most admired non-star in history.
That’s not an exaggeration.
You could see that in the days leading up to the 2023 NBA Finals, as newspapers and websites took cherish time and clicks away from celebrity Denver Nuggets like Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and did countless stories on Smith being on the verge of finally winning a championship.
This for a guy who’s averaged 7.3 points per game over his career and played a grand total of 12 minutes in this year’s playoffs, none in the Finals.
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No dunk contests entries, no 3-point shootouts, no Subway commercials.
That’s impact.
But on Monday night in Denver, after 762 career games played, the affable Smith finally got what every professional basketball player craves when the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat, 94-89, to win the NBA championship.
I repeat: Smith didn’t need this. He wanted it badly, but from a public and league-wide perspective, Smith was already elite, royalty even.
Here’s an example: The NBA published a video on YouTube.com early Tuesday morning of Smith making his way down a hallway toward the Denver locker room Monday night, several cameras in tow for the unsung point guard, when Jovic, the Finals Most Valuable Player and the best player in basketball, rushed to great him.
When they embraced and continued walking down the hallway, the 6-foot-11 Jovic was clutching the 6-foot Smith as if Smith were the MVP.
“You needed 13 years to wait for me?” Jovic said in his Serbian accent.
“I don’t know why you didn’t bring me here earlier!” Smith exclaimed. “What the heck?
“I’m so proud of you, man.”
And if you know anything about Smith, you know that as happy as he was for himself, he was equally happy for Jovic, who broke records and was a triple-double machine in these playoffs.
Smith has been the perfect ambassador for Cabarrus County during his time in the league, even in his relative anonymity on the Denver bench. Nearing 35 years old, his story is one of hard work, perseverance and being a true team player.
A 13-year career for someone who wasn’t even drafted after he graduated from Wake Forest University in 2010?
For someone who’s considered undersized for today’s point guards?
Yeah. There’s a premium on leaders with a high Q factor and knowledge of the game.
Remember that, kids. It’s not always about your handles or vertical leap. That’s the lesson you can take from someone like Ish Smith.
Sure, it takes talent, and no one should forget that Smith has brought plenty of that to the table during his NBA journey. Trust me, the league isn’t in the business of just giving away part of its billions to good, wholesome guys.
But there’s something about doing things the right way, with dignity and class. And despite being traded seven times and sent packing to the next outpost, Smith never lost sight of that.
“Thirteen long years, hopefully, my journey inspires other people,” Smith said in another NBA.com video.
So now it’s on to whatever’s next for Smith. Maybe he’ll find his way back to Denver. But as an unrestricted free agent, perhaps he’ll make his way to another NBA city. I sure hope so, because every team can use an Ish Smith, and no one deserves it more.
For Smith, though, the crowning achievement of his career came last Monday night, when he finally got to hoist that Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
“It feels good to be a champion,” Smith said in interview with The Denver Post.
The interesting part?
To the rest of the league, and definitely to Cabarrus County, Smith was a champion long before he had the hardware.