Phil Smith
Encyclopedia
Philip Arnold Smith (April 22, 1952 – July 30, 2002) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player who played for 9 seasons in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 (NBA).

Collegiate career

A 6'4" All-American guard from the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...

, Smith was not heavily recruited out of George Washington High School (San Francisco)
George Washington High School (San Francisco)
George Washington High School is a public high school in Richmond District, San Francisco, California. The school is a part of the San Francisco Unified School District...

. After graduating from high school a semester early, Smith followed his older brother and enrolled in night classes at the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...

. Having been seen playing in a pickup game on campus, he was recruited by coach Bob Gaillard
Bob Gaillard
Bob Gaillard is a college basketball coach and former businessman. He coached the San Francisco Dons as an assistant beginning in 1968, and became head coach in the 1970-71 season. Under Gaillard, the Dons finished 29-2 in the 1976-77 season, which saw them ranked number one in the nation...

, who enlisted him on the freshman squad (the NCAA did not allow freshmen to play on varsity at this time) where he averaged 16.7 ppg. He went on to lead the team in scoring in each of his three varsity seasons, 15.0, 18.7, and 20.7 ppg, for a career average of 18.1 ppg and was an all-West Coast Conference
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference is an NCAA collegiate athletics conference consisting of nine member schools across the states of California, Oregon, Utah and Washington....

 selection all three years. The Dons
Dons
Dons or The Dons may refer to:In association football:* Wimbledon F.C., a former English professional football club from London which relocated to Milton Keynes in 2003, and the two clubs founded during the surrounding controversy:...

 made appearances in the 1972 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1972 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1972 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA University Division college basketball. It began on March 11, 1972, and ended with the championship game on March 25 in Los Angeles, California...

 placing 4th in the Western Regional after losing to Weber State, and finished in the elite eight in the 1973 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1973 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1973 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA University Division college basketball. It began on March 10, 1973, and ended with the championship game on March 26 in St. Louis, Missouri...

 and 1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It was the first tournament to officially be designated as a Division I championship—previously, NCAA member...

, where they lost both times to UCLA under John Wooden
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...

. As a result he was drafted #1 in the 1973 ABA
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...

 draft by the Virginia Squires
Virginia Squires
The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...

, but declined leaving college early. He was named to the All-American team his senior year. Scoring 1,523 career points, he excelled at USF becoming the ninth-leading scorer in school history. On February 17, 2001 his number 20 was retired at halftime during a home game against the University of San Diego
University of San Diego
The University of San Diego is a Roman Catholic university in San Diego, California. USD offers more than sixty bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral programs...

. He is one of only five players to have his number retired by the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...

. He was named one of the Top-50 WCC athletes of all-time in 2001.

Professional career

After his senior year he was selected with the 32nd pick by the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

 in the 2nd round of the 1974 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft
1974 NBA Draft
The 1974 NBA Draft was the 28th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on May 28, 1974 before the 1974–75 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...

 (29th pick overall). Smith spent six seasons with the Warriors. As a rookie during the 1975 season, he averaged 7.7 points on 48 percent shooting in 74 games and was a member of the Golden State Warriors lone NBA championship team. The following year, he stepped into the starting lineup and averaged a career-best 20.0 points while playing in all 82 games. Smith was a two-time NBA All-Star
National Basketball Association All-Star Game
The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. From that year on, the game has matched the best players in the Eastern Conference with the best players in the Western Conference....

 (1976 and 1977), an All-NBA second-team selection in 1976 and a 1976 All-NBA defensive second-team selection. He played for 9 seasons (1974–1983) in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 (NBA), for the Warriors, the San Diego Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

, and the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...

. Smith finished his NBA career with 9,924 total points and a 15.1 ppg career average. A ruptured Achilles tendon prior to the start of the 1979-80 campaign caused the decline of his career.

Personal

Was the third of 9 children born to Ben and Thelma Smith of San Francisco. He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Angela, and their 5 children: Alicia, Philip, Amber, Martin and Peter, and 7 grandchildren. Martin played collegiately for the California Golden Bears
California Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears is the nickname used for 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley...

 from 2002–2006; Peter played for his parents alma mater, the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...

  before transferring to Concordia University (California) (class of 2012).

September 27 is Phil Smith Day in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

 as decreed by former Mayor Willie Brown
Willie Brown (politician)
Willie Lewis Brown, Jr. is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served over 30 years in the California State Assembly, spending 15 years as its Speaker, and afterward served as the 41st mayor of San Francisco, the first African American to do so...

.

A scholarship endowment in Smith's name and the name of Arthur Zief, Jr. was established at the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...

 by Art Zief.

Death

Philip Smith died at Palomar Medical Center
Palomar Medical Center
Palomar Medical Center is a hospital located in Escondido, California. PMC is operated by the Palomar Pomerado Health District, which also operates Pomerado Hospital in nearby Poway. The hospital is the only designated trauma center in northern San Diego County.PMC opened in 1950 as Palomar...

 in Escondido, California
Escondido, California
Escondido is a city occupying a shallow valley ringed by rocky hills, just north of the city of San Diego, California. Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. The city had a population of 143,911 at the 2010 census. Its municipal government set itself an operating...

 from complications with multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma , also known as plasma cell myeloma or Kahler's disease , is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for the production of antibodies...

cancer, after a five-year battle with the disease. He was 50.
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