This article is about the American basketball player and coach. For the American fencer, see Keeth Smart.

Keith Smart
Smart as head coach of the Golden State Warriors in 2011
Personal information
Born (1964-09-21) September 21, 1964 (age 62)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolMcKinley (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
College
NBA draft1988: 2nd round, 41st overall pick
Drafted byGolden State Warriors
Playing career1988–1997
PositionPoint guard
Number3
Coaching career1997–2024
Career history
Playing
1988San Antonio Spurs
1989San Miguel Beermen
1989Worcester Counts
1990Youngstown Pride
1991Halifax Windjammers
1993Bravo de Lara
1994Cambrais Basket
1995Trotamundos de Carabobo
1995–1996Florida Beachdogs
1996–1997Fort Wayne Fury
Coaching
1997–2000Fort Wayne Fury
2000–2003Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant)
2003Cleveland Cavaliers
2003–2010Golden State Warriors (assistant)
2010–2011Golden State Warriors
2011–2012Sacramento Kings (assistant)
2011–2013Sacramento Kings
2014–2016Miami Heat (assistant)
2016–2018Memphis Grizzlies (assistant)
2018–2019New York Knicks (assistant)
2021–2024Arkansas (assistant)
Career highlights
As player:
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 1987 Indianapolis Team competition

Jonathan Keith Smart (born September 21, 1964) is an American former basketball coach and player.

Playing career

He is perhaps best remembered for hitting the game-winning shot in the 1987 NCAA championship game that gave the Indiana Hoosiers a 74–73 victory over the Syracuse Orangemen.[1] He had transferred to Indiana from Garden City Community College in Kansas where he was a two-year standout and Jayhawk Conference Player of the Year.[2]

After two seasons at Indiana, Smart was signed by the San Antonio Spurs, with whom he played two games in the 1988–89 season. In 12 minutes, Smart scored two points and had two assists and one rebound. Smart later played in the Philippines, with the San Miguel Beermen of the PBA, in the 1989 Reinforced Conference, where he played through an injury and was eventually replaced by Ennis Whatley after only five games.[3] After the PBA, he played in the World Basketball League: first with the Worcester Counts in 1989.[4] He then played for the Youngstown Pride and was traded to the Halifax Windjammers in March 1991.[5] Smart later played in the Continental Basketball Association with the Rapid City Thrillers (1995–96) and Fort Wayne Fury (1996–97).[6] He also played two seasons in France and one in Venezuela.[2]

Coaching career

Smart as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors in 2009, instructing Stephen Curry

In 2002, Smart finished the season as interim coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. His record was 9–31 with the club. In 2003, he became an assistant with the Golden State Warriors.

In 2010, Smart took over for Golden State Warriors head coach Don Nelson before the start of the 2010–11 training camp.[7]

The Warriors fired Smart on April 27, 2011, following a 36-win season, a 10-game improvement from the previous season.[8][9] He joined the Sacramento Kings as an assistant coach in November 2011.[10] On January 5, 2012, the Kings named Smart head coach after firing Paul Westphal.[11] He recorded a 48–93 record over parts of two seasons with the team. On May 31, 2013, the Kings fired Smart with one year remaining on his contract.[12][13] On September 17, 2014, the Miami Heat announced they had hired Smart as an assistant coach.

On December 6, 2019, Smart was fired by the New York Knicks.[14]

On May 12, 2021, Smart was announced as Assistant Coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks under Head Coach Eric Musselman.[15] On January 15, 2022, Smart served one game as the Arkansas interim coach while Musselman was out with shoulder surgery. Smart led the unranked Razorbacks to a thrilling 65–58 victory over No. 12 LSU in Baton Rouge.[16]

On January 13, 2025, Smart was announced as the head coach for Utah Prep Academy in Hurricane, Utah.

Personal life

Smart and his wife Carol have two children.[17] His son Jared is currently a wide receiver for the University of Hawaii.[18]

Career playing statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Source[19]

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1988–89 San Antonio 2 0 6.0 .000 .000 1.000 .5 1.0 .0 .0 1.0

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Cleveland 2002–03 40 9 31 .225 8th in Central — — — — Missed Playoffs
Golden State 2010–11 82 36 46 .439 3rd in Pacific — — — — Missed Playoffs
Sacramento 2011–12 59 20 39 .339 5th in Pacific — — — — Missed Playoffs
Sacramento 2012–13 82 28 54 .341 4th in Pacific — — — — Missed Playoffs
Career 263 93 170 .354 — — — —

See also

References

  1. ^ Keith Smart's last-gasp basket propelled Indiana to a - 04.06.87 - SI Vault
  2. ^ a b "Keith Smart". NBA. Archived from the original on August 17, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  3. ^ "Grand-slam Beermen roll out barrel". Philippine Daily Inquirer. December 9, 2010. p. W-9.
  4. ^ Yantz, Tom (August 5, 1989). "World Basketball League Provides Players a Possible Shortcut to NBA". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  5. ^ "Transactions". Baltimore Sun. March 21, 1991. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  6. ^ Lebowitz, Larry (November 15, 1996). "Beachdogs A Team On The Move". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved August 17, 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ^ "Smart seeks to add defensive mindset to Warriors' rapid pace". NBA.com. September 27, 2010. Archived from the original on October 2, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
  8. ^ https://sports.yahoo.com/ap-warriors-smartout.html [permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "Smart gets another shot, this time as Kings coach". Associated Press. January 6, 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. ^ Keith Smart, Bobby Jackson join Kings
  11. ^ "Sacramento Kings fire Paul Westphal". espn.com. January 5, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  12. ^ "Sale of Kings officially done". ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 31, 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  13. ^ "KEITH SMART RELIEVED OF HEAD COACHING DUTIES". NBA.com. May 31, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  14. ^ "New York Knicks fire David Fizdale and Keith Smart, promote Mike Miller to interim head coach". December 6, 2019.
  15. ^ "Keith Smart Joins Men's Basketball Staff". May 12, 2021.
  16. ^ "Arkansas stuns No. 12 LSU without coach Eric Musselman as Razorbacks rally late to get big road upset". January 16, 2022.
  17. ^ Winderman, Ira (January 11, 2016). "Heat assistant coach Keith Smart returns from rare skin cancer". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  18. ^ "'Never in doubt', Years of hard work has led Jared Smart to Hawai'i to live out his college football dream". KHON2 News. August 15, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  19. ^ "Keith Smart NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 11, 2026.
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