Nolan Smith

Who is Nolan Smith?

Nolan Smith is a former professional basketball player from the United States. Nolan Smith is now an assistant coach for the Louisville Cardinals’ men’s basketball team. Smith’s high basketball IQ and excellent ball security enable him to efficiently run an offense with the ball in his hands.

He’s a capable outside shooter, but he’s most effective when open looks are created for him.

Similarly, the player’s awareness enables him to read defenses and make the correct pass at the correct time.

Nolan’s best defensive characteristics are his length, intelligence, and effort.

Nolan Smith’s Childhood and Family

Nolan Smith, an NBA player, was born in Louisville, Kentucky on July 25, 1988.

As a result, his nationality is American.

Derek Smith is his father, and Monica Smith is his mother.

Nolan has one older sister, Sydney Smith.

While playing basketball at Louisville, Nolan’s father was a member of the 1980 NCAA championship team that defeated UCLA.

He was in the NBA for nine years.

More facts About Nolan Smith

Nolan’s father died

In August 1996, Nolan’s father, Derek, took a cruise on the Norwegian Cruise Line ship MS Dreamward for Bullets and Capitals season ticket holders.

He also brought his family along.

Derek and then-Bullets player Tim Legler volunteered to hold basketball clinics on the cruise.

On August 9, 1996, Derek suffered an apparent massive heart attack in the presence of members of his team at a cocktail party.

The ship was near Bermuda and on its way back to New York City at the time. For 25 minutes, ship medics attempted to resuscitate him.

They were unable to save him.

Nolan was only eight years old at the time, and his father was his hero.

His father’s death had a profound effect on his life.

A career in High School

As an eighth-grader, Nolan played varsity basketball for The Key School in Annapolis, Maryland.

After that, he transferred to St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., for the 2003-04 school year.

At St. John’s, he was named to the third team all-conference.

From 2004-05, he was a sophomore at Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Riverdale finished 33-1 under Smith’s leadership.

Nolan spent his junior and senior years at Oak Hill Academy in Wilson, Virginia.

The player was a two-year captain who played alongside future NBA players Ty Lawson, Michael Beasley, and Brandon Jennings.

He led Oak Hill to a 40-1 overall record and a final USA Today national ranking of No. 2 in 2005-06, averaging 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals per game.

College Career of Nolan Smith

In 2010-11, Nolan started 37 games as a senior.

He was named the ACC Player of the Year for the 12th time after becoming the 11th Duke player to lead the league in scoring.

In addition, the player was nominated for the Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy, and Bob Cousy Award.

Similarly, on February 9, 2011, Nolan scored 34 points on a career-high 13 field goal attempts in a home win over No. 20 North Carolina.

Smith, along with fellow senior Kyle Singler, was team captain in 2010-11.

He became Mike Krzyzewski’s ninth player to average more than 20.0 points per game.

Furthermore, his 764 points in 2010-11 were the ninth-highest single-season total in Duke history and the 19th time a Duke player scored 700 or more.

NBA Professional Career

In the 2011 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Nolan with the 21st overall pick.

On December 9, 2011, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Trail Blazers.

As a rookie, he appeared in 44 games (four starts), averaging 3.8 points, 1.4 assists, and 1.3 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game.

On January 6, 2013, Nolan was assigned to the NBA Development League’s Idaho Stampede.

The Trail Blazers recalled the player on January 9 after he appeared in both of Idaho’s games at the 2013 NBA D-League Showcase in Reno.

In July 2013, Smith joined the Boston Celtics for the 2013 NBA Summer League, where he played one game and scored four points.

On August 18, 2013, Nolan signed a one-year contract with Cedevita Zagreb of the Croatian League.

In July 2014, Nolan signed a contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2014 NBA Summer League, where he averaged 4.6 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in five games.

On August 29, 2014, the player signed a one-year contract with Galatasaray Liv Hospital of the Turkish Basketball League.

However, he parted ways with Galatasaray on October 27, 2014.

On November 26, 2014, Nolan was acquired by the NBA Development League’s Delaware 87ers.

On January 15, 2015, the 87ers waived him, effectively ending his playing career.

Trivia and Facts

Nolan was well-liked by his teammates during his college years.

Everyone in the locker room gravitated toward Nolan because of his enthusiasm for the game and ability to remain energetic and loose in high-pressure situations.

Similarly, after hitting a buzzer-beater three-pointer with 0.6 seconds left in the ABA League Final Four semi-final, Nolan received a lot of national media attention.

His act secured his team’s place in the 2014-15 Euroleague, leaving Serbia’s legendary club Partizan out for the first time in 14 years.

On October 19, 2014, while being substituted in a Turkish League game against Banvit, the player threw a towel, prompting head coach Ergin Ataman to eject him from the stadium.

He later apologized for his actions.

Awards

• Croatian League, Croatian Cup, and Croatian League All-Star (2014)
• Champion of the NCAA (2010)
• First-team All-American by consensus, ACC Player of the Year, First-Team All-ACC, ACC All-Defensive Team (2011)
• All-ACC second team (2010)
• First-team Parade All-American, McDonald’s All-American (2007)

Coaching Career of Nolan Smith

On February 22, 2016, Nolan joined the Duke Blue Devils coaching staff as a special assistant.

He was promoted to director of basketball operations and player development in March 2018.

Similarly, he was named an assistant coach in April 2021.

On April 4, 2022, the former player joined the Louisville Cardinals coaching staff, reporting to Kenny Payne.

Smith’s father, Derek Smith, also played at Louisville and was a member of the 1980 championship team.

Smith’s Physical Characteristics

Former NBA player Nolan Smith has a strong body and an athletic build.

The player weighs approximately 84 kg. Similarly, Smith stands 6 feet 4 inches tall.

The player’s age is 34. According to the Chinese calendar, he was born in the Dragon year.

Smith’s zodiac sign is also Leo.

Tattoos Nolan says he gets tattoos to express himself.

The player gets a tattoo whenever a new idea comes to him.

As a result, the player’s body is covered in tattoos. When Nolan was 16, he got his first tattoo.

He wanted to do something special for his father and remember him for the rest of his life.

So he asked his mother for permission to get a tattoo of his father on his arm.

Monica was never a fan of tattooing her body. She did, however, agree.

The player has an inked portrait of his father on his right biceps with the words “Forever Watching” above it.

Similarly, the player has a tattoo on his chest that says “Family First.”

He also has a tattoo of the world with Monica and Sydney written above and below it.

Nolan also has a tattoo that says “Built to Win.” Likewise, his other tattoo reads, “Never be denied.”

A Final 4 logo is also on the player’s stomach.

The Smiths’ Adventure

Cheyna was a freshman at the University of North Carolina at the time, and Nolan was a senior at Duke.

Nolan had just finished a basketball game in Maryland on February 2, 2011, when a fan from the opposing team tweeted something extremely derogatory about him.

Cheyna happened to see the Tweet and immediately responded with how rude and inappropriate his message was.

Later that night, she was half asleep when her phone rang.

Despite the fact that they didn’t know each other, Nolan had slipped into her Twitter DMs to thank her for defending him.

He made a joke about Duke and Carolina being rivals, and it snowballed from there.

Engagement

Chenya asked Nolan in 2015 if they could do a Christmas photoshoot with their new puppy, Kobe, whom they had gotten earlier that year.

Nolan let her pick where they went, and she chose the Duke Gardens, Duke Chapel, and Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The couple first went to Duke Gardens, then to the Chapel.

Cheyna recalls that by that point, the humidity had destroyed her hair, so she was ready to call it quits and forget Cameron.

Nolan, on the other hand, insisted that because he had already paid, they had to do it.

When the couple arrived at Cameron, Nolan stated that he needed to “use the restroom,” which turned out to be his way of delaying the arrival of family and friends.

The lights were turned off when they entered Cameron. Just then, Nolan reached out and grabbed Cheyna, kissing her and refusing to let go.

Cheyna turned around to see her family and friends when Nolan let go.

Nolan got down on one knee, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Nolan Smith’s Marital Situation

Six years after their first meeting, the couple married in August 2017. The high school sweethearts were married at Duke University in a sentimental and modern ceremony.

Their honeymoon location was Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Nolan and his wife, Cheyna, have two children.

Camryn Smith was their first child, and she was a girl.

Similarly, their second child was a boy named Derek Indy Smith.

The first name, of course, honors Nolan’s father. Furthermore, “Indy” has hosted three of Duke’s five national championships, including the first in 1991 and the most recent in 2015.

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Monetary Value

Nolan Smith, Payne’s first assistant, will earn $400,000 in base salary, according to a signed offer letter obtained by the Courier-Journal through an open records request.

In addition, he will receive a $500 monthly car stipend.

On April 6, Nolan signed the offer letter, which included a family membership to the University of Louisville Golf Club.

The player can receive up to $15,000 in moving expenses and 30 days of temporary housing.

Aside from that, the player earned a substantial sum during his professional NBA career.

His net worth is estimated to be between $2 and $3 million.

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