In 2010, Ish Smith believed he found a home in Houston. When he signed with the Rockets as a rookie, he was confident this was the franchise he would spend his career with.
“I’m gonna be here for 10 years,” Smith recalled thinking.
Life had other plans. Several other plans.
Smith bounced between the Rockets and their G League affiliate — the Rio Grande Valley Vipers —before getting traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in February 2011. Later that year, Smith was waived by Memphis and then picked up by the Golden State Warriors.
At 23, Smith had played for four different organizations in two seasons. His path as an NBA journeyman had begun.
Over a decade later, Smith has played on 13 teams and lived in too many apartments to keep track of. But as he is on the verge of winning his first NBA title with the Denver Nuggets, he doesn’t regret his journey.
“Everybody’s journey is different,” the 34-year-old point guard said. “You just have to soak it in and use it as a testimony for people to keep pushing. It’s been a fun ride.”
Smith didn’t choose this path. He was waived six times and traded seven. He ended up in Denver after the Washington Wizards traded him and guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for Will Barton and Monte Morris over the offseason.
Smith’s early days on the road were simple. He wasn’t married and had no children, so he would pack his bags and move without hesitation. The hardest part, however, was constantly relearning a new city and developing relationships with teammates and coaches.
Smith, who lives in Charlotte with his family, has found some form of stability over the past few seasons. He had spent three years with the Detroit Pistons and two in Washington before joining the Nuggets.
“My last seven to eight years have calmed down,” Smith said. “The first five to six years, I was moving a lot. It hasn’t been as bad as I’ve gotten older.”
In Denver, Smith, DeAndre Jordan and Jeff Green are what he called the “old heads” of the team. The trio has played a combined 40 years in the NBA, yet Green is the only one to make it to the Finals before this season.
After the Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, Smith recalled Jordan in the back of the locker room, taking in the moment while he and Green embraced each other.
“I hugged (Green) tighter than my wife,” Smith laughed. “I think the young guys don’t understand the grind you have to go through.”
Even though Smith’s role in Denver is minimal, he has earned respect in the locker room. Coach Michael Malone said Smith, Green, Jordan and Caldwell-Pope have impacted the team’s culture. When Smith arrived, he immediately wanted to help Nikola Jokic be an even better playmaker. But as he watched Jokic make unreal passes and find teammates on the weak side, he realized there wasn’t much that needed to be said. During Game 1 of the Finals, Smith was having conversation with Malone as they were walking toward the locker room at halftime.
“Ish always has great things to say,” Malone said. “When you can have veterans that are truly selfless and not worried about (minutes), but they’re still invested in the team and willing to use their voice in a positive manner, that is really impactful.”
Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry, who played with Smith in Houston, remembered when the six-foot guard would embarrass him and former Rocket Aaron Brooks at practice. Lowry said Smith was hard to keep up with because he was too fast.
“I ain’t going to lie, I used to dislike having to go against him,” Lowry said.
Lowry recalled Smith not being the best shooter coming out of Wake Forest but knew how to get anywhere on the floor. He is glad to see Smith in the Finals because he understands his former teammate’s journey to make it here.
“Sometimes you just have these stories that people should look into,” Lowry said. “His story is very unorthodox. I’m sure he’s happy to be in this moment.”
Smith said the key to staying around this long is his perseverance and learning to accept constructive criticism.
“I think when people tell you you can’t do something, don’t take it (personally),” Smith said. “Realize what you have to do to get better, find your fit, whatever that is. On top of that, keep going.”
Smith hopes to keep going. Whether he stays in Denver or goes to a new team remains to be seen. For now, Smith is enjoying a moment that’s been 13 years in the making.
“Until they cut off the lights and say don’t come back, I’m going to be out here playing,” Smith said. “You’re still going to see No. 14 running fast.”
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