1. Overview
Elmore Smith (born May 9, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player. Standing at 7.0 ft (2.13 m) and weighing 243 lb (110 kg), Smith played as a center from Kentucky State University in the NBA from 1971 to 1979. He was drafted third overall in the 1971 NBA Draft and was a member of the Buffalo Braves, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Cleveland Cavaliers. Smith is widely recognized for his exceptional shot-blocking and rebounding abilities, earning him the nickname "Elmore the Rejector." He became the NBA's first official blocked shots leader and holds the league record for most blocked shots in a single game, with 17.
2. Early Life and Education
Elmore Smith was born in Macon, Georgia, and graduated from Ballard-Hudson High School, also in Macon. During his freshman year of high school, Smith stood at 5.9 ft (1.8 m) and initially did not make the basketball team. However, he experienced a significant growth spurt over the next two years, reaching 7.0 ft (2.13 m). Smith recalled that his high school principal pressured him to join the basketball team, threatening to remove him from campus if he refused. Despite making the team, he rarely played. He received only three scholarship offers, which he attributed to his height and coordination. He initially enrolled at Wiley College, but due to concerns about limited playing time, he transferred to Kentucky State University.
3. College Career
Smith attended Kentucky State University, where he distinguished himself as one of the top rebounders in college basketball history. He was a pivotal member of the 1970 and 1971 NAIA Championship teams, which were coached by Lucias Mitchell and featured teammate Travis Grant. Smith holds the NAIA record for most rebounds in a single season, achieving 799 rebounds in 1971, a feat that also places him at the top of the NCAA All-Division list.
Throughout his college career, Smith consistently posted impressive statistics. In the 1968-1969 season, he averaged 14.8 points and 19.8 rebounds per game. He improved his performance in 1969-1970, averaging 21.6 points and 22.7 rebounds. In his final collegiate season, 1970-1971, he averaged 25.5 points and 24.2 rebounds, leading Kentucky State to consecutive NAIA Championships. Smith concluded his college career with remarkable averages of 21.3 points and 22.6 rebounds per game before leaving for the NBA in 1971, during what would have been his senior year.
4. NBA Career
Elmore Smith's professional basketball career in the NBA spanned eight seasons, during which he showcased his prowess as a dominant big man known for his shot-blocking and rebounding. He played for four different teams, making significant contributions and setting notable records throughout his tenure.
4.1. Buffalo Braves Era
Smith was selected by the Buffalo Braves as the third overall pick in the 1971 NBA Draft on March 29, 1971. In his rookie season (1971-72), he immediately became an integral part of the team's inside play, averaging 17.3 points and 15.2 rebounds per game alongside teammate Bob Kauffman. His strong performance earned him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Team, and his rookie rebounding average remains the eighth-highest ever recorded by an NBA rookie. In the following 1972-73 season, he continued to perform well for the Braves, averaging 18.3 points and 12.4 rebounds. Notably, his average of 13.8 rebounds per game over his two seasons with the Braves stands as the highest career average in the franchise's history (now the Los Angeles Clippers). His time with the Braves concluded on September 12, 1973, when he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, a move partly influenced by the arrival of Bob McAdoo, whose position overlapped with Smith's.
4.2. Los Angeles Lakers Era
Upon joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 1973, Elmore Smith was seen as a potential successor to the legendary Wilt Chamberlain. The 1973-74 season marked a significant change in NBA record-keeping, as blocked shots were officially recorded for the first time. In this pioneering season, Smith averaged 12.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, and a league-leading 4.9 blocked shots per game, becoming the NBA's inaugural blocked shots leader. His 4.9 blocks per game average for the 1973-74 season remains the third-highest single-season average in NBA history, and his total of 393 blocks that season ranks as the fourth-highest all-time.
On October 28, 1973, while playing for the Lakers against the Portland Trail Blazers, Smith achieved a historic milestone by recording an astounding 17 blocked shots in a single game. This record remains the highest number of blocks in a single NBA game since the statistic was officially recognized. Despite his shot-blocking prowess, Smith also had a memorable and unusual free throw performance on December 28, 1974, in a 106-89 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Under the now-defunct "three to make two" rule, where a player could attempt a third free throw if the first two were missed, Smith notably missed three consecutive attempts, with all three being "air balls" that failed to hit the basket, rim, or backboard. In the 1974-75 season, Smith averaged 10.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks for the Lakers. His tenure with the Lakers concluded on June 16, 1975, when he was part of a major trade, moving to the Milwaukee Bucks along with Junior Bridgeman, Dave Meyers, and Brian Winters in exchange for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Wesley.
4.3. Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers Eras
After his trade to the Milwaukee Bucks, Elmore Smith played 34 games during the 1975-76 season. His time with the Bucks was relatively brief, as he was traded again on January 13, 1977. This time, he moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with Gary Brokaw, in exchange for Rowland Garrett and two future first-round draft picks (which later became Ernie Grunfeld in 1977 and George Johnson in 1978).
In the 1976-77 season, Smith averaged 12.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game for the Cavaliers, who finished with a 43-39 record under Coach Bill Fitch. His later career was significantly affected by a persistent knee injury, which required surgery. This injury severely limited his playing time in his final season; he played in only 24 games for Cleveland during the 1978-79 season, which proved to be the last of his professional career. Smith officially retired from the NBA in 1979.
4.4. Play Style and Achievements
Elmore Smith is primarily remembered for his exceptional shot-blocking abilities, which earned him the apt nickname "Elmore the Rejector." He led the league in total blocked shots twice, during the 1973-74 and 1974-75 seasons. His NBA record of 17 blocks in a single game, set on October 28, 1973, against the Portland Trail Blazers while he was with the Lakers, remains unsurpassed since blocks became an official statistic in 1973. His average of 4.85 blocks per game from the 1973-74 season stands as the third-highest single-season average in NBA history.
Beyond his blocking prowess, Smith was also a highly skilled rebounder. Throughout his eight-season NBA career, he consistently averaged a double-double, with career averages of 13.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. He played in a total of 562 games, accumulating 7,541 career points, 5,962 career rebounds, and 1,183 career blocks (the block count includes only statistics from the 1973-74 season onwards). His career average of 2.9 blocks per game ranks as the fifth-highest in NBA history.
5. NBA Career Statistics
The following tables detail Elmore Smith's statistical performance throughout his NBA career during both the regular season and playoffs. A single asterisk (*) denotes that Smith led the league in that specific category during the season. Values in bold indicate a career high.
5.1. Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-72 | Buffalo | 78 | 40.8 | .454 | .534 | 15.2 | 1.4 | - | - | 17.3 |
| 1972-73 | Buffalo | 76 | 37.2 | .482 | .558 | 12.4 | 2.5 | - | - | 18.3 |
| 1973-74 | Los Angeles | 81 | 36.1 | .457 | .590 | 11.2 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 4.9* | 12.5 |
| 1974-75 | Los Angeles | 74 | 31.6 | .493 | .485 | 10.9 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 10.9 |
| 1975-76 | Milwaukee | 78 | 36.0 | .518 | .632 | 11.4 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 15.6 |
| 1976-77 | Milwaukee | 34 | 23.2 | .447 | .581 | 6.1 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 8.4 |
| 1976-77 | Cleveland | 36 | 18.8 | .504 | .519 | 6.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 8.7 |
| 1977-78 | Cleveland | 81 | 24.6 | .497 | .663 | 8.4 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 12.5 |
| 1978-79 | Cleveland | 24 | 13.8 | .531 | .692 | 4.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 6.5 |
| Career | 562 | 31.8 | .482 | .579 | 10.6 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 2.9 | 13.4 | |
5.2. Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Los Angeles | 5 | 34.2 | .477 | .706 | 10.6 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 19.2 |
| 1976 | Milwaukee | 3 | 34.7 | .556 | .667 | 7.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 14.7 |
| 1977 | Cleveland | 3 | 18.7 | .545 | .625 | 8.0 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 13.7 |
| 1978 | Cleveland | 2 | 28.0 | .458 | .500 | 9.5 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 12.5 |
| Career | 13 | 29.8 | .500 | .654 | 9.1 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 15.8 | |
6. Life After Basketball
Following his retirement from professional basketball, Elmore Smith transitioned into various personal and business endeavors.
6.1. Personal Life
Elmore Smith is the father of three daughters. He has chosen to remain in the Cleveland area, where he is a familiar figure and is frequently seen attending Cleveland Cavaliers games.
6.2. Business Ventures
In 2006, after years of preparing sauces for his family and friends, Smith ventured into entrepreneurship by starting his own barbecue sauce business. His barbecue sauces are served at Elmore Smith's Smokehouse Restaurant, located within Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and are also available for purchase online.
7. Honors and Legacy
Elmore Smith has received multiple accolades and inductions into various halls of fame for his significant contributions to basketball.
- In 2002, he was inducted into the Kentucky State University Athletics Hall of Fame.
- In 2008, Smith was honored with induction into the Georgia Hall of Fame.
- The Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame inducted him in 2014.
- In 2017, he received further recognition with his induction into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame.