Steve Smith (basketball) Atlanta Hawks How did he play with the Hawks? Smith started in 59 of 78 games for Atlanta and averaged 16 points during the regular season and 19 points in the playoffs,
How many seasons was he with the Hawks?
How many seasons was Steve Smith with the Hawks?
Smith started in 59 of 78 games for Atlanta and averaged 16 points during the regular season and 19 points in the playoffs, as the Hawks lost in a first round sweep to the Indiana Pacers. He would go on to average a then career high 18.1 points a game in 80 starts in the 1995-96 season, forming a formidable backcourt one-two punch with Mookie Blaylock. The team under head coach Lenny Wilkens would win 46 games and defeat Indiana in the first round in 5 games before falling to the Orlando Magic in the conference semifinals in 6 games. Smith averaged 21.7 points in 10 playoff games, including a 35-point performance in a game 4 win against the Magic.  The following season would feature another career high scoring average (20.1) for Smith, as he continued to serve as the Hawks' main option on offense. The team also featured players such as Christian Laettner and Dikembe Mutombo, and would go on to win 56 games before meeting and defeating the Detroit Pistons in a 5-game first round series. Smith played well against Detroit and held his own against Michael Jordan and the defending champion Chicago Bulls, who defeated the Hawks in 5 games in the semifinals. The following season would be similar to Smith as he once again averaged 20.1 points a game, but this time managed to be named an NBA All-Star as he scored 14 points in 16 minutes of action in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. The Hawks would disappoint in the playoffs yet again however, this time losing to the Charlotte Hornets 3 games to 1 in the conference semifinals despite a 24.8 ppg scoring average by Smith for the series.  The 1998-99 season would be limited to 50 games as a result of a league wide lockout, and in 36 games Smith averaged 18.7 points a game and led the Hawks to another 5 game first round victory over Detroit. The Hawks had no answer, however, for the New York Knicks, and again the Hawks were eliminated in the semifinals. Smith averaged 17.3 points a game in the 1999 playoffs. In the offseason, the Hawks traded Smith in a 4 player trade to the Portland Trail Blazers which included Isaiah Rider, who had served as Portland's starting shooting guard and who Smith would now replace. CANNOTANSWER
1998-99
Steven Delano Smith (born March 31, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player who is a basketball analyst for Turner Sports. After a collegiate career with Michigan State, he played with several teams in his 14-season National Basketball Association career, including the Miami Heat, the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs, but is perhaps best known for his five-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks which included an All-Star Game appearance in 1998. He won a championship with the Spurs in 2003.
Smith was widely regarded as an excellent three-point shooter, and is one of three players to make seven 3-pointers in a quarter.

He joined the USA men's national basketball team in the 1994 FIBA World Championship winning the gold medal. He won another gold medal at the 1999 Tournament of the Americas and an Olympic gold medal with the USA men's national basketball team at the 2000 Summer Olympics with eleven other NBA All-Stars.

College career
Smith finished his four-year career as the all-time leading scorer in Michigan State history, with 2,263 points. He ranks fourth on the school's all-time assists list (with 453) and fifth in rebounds (with 704). For his college career Smith averaged 18.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest in 122 games. He was named to the NABC All-American First Team as a senior. Smith led the Spartans to a Big Ten Championship and Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1990 and hit a game-winning, last-second three-pointer to beat Wisconsin–Green Bay in the first round of the 1991 NCAA Tournament. He was inducted into Michigan State's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.

NBA career

Miami Heat
Smith was selected fifth overall in the 1991 NBA draft by the Miami Heat, a young expansion team which featured other young players such as Glen Rice, Rony Seikaly and Brian Shaw. Smith played in 61 games in his rookie season, starting in 59 with averages of 12 points a game and 4.6 assists. The young team made the playoffs to face the top seeded defending champion Chicago Bulls, who swept the Heat in 3 games in the first round.  Smith averaged 16 points a game for the series. Injuries limited Smith to 48 games in the 1992–93 season, but he increased his scoring average to 16 points a game. Miami did not make the playoffs that year.

The 1993–94 season would prove to be Smith's best in Miami, as he averaged 17.3 points a game with 5.1 assists as the Heat won 42 games and entered the first round of the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks. The series went to 5 games, as Miami won its first playoff games in franchise history.  Smith led the team in scoring during the series with 19.2 points and shot 40 percent from beyond the three-point line. Smith would play just two games to start the 1994–95 season before being traded along with Grant Long to Atlanta for Kevin Willis, a deal that was universally regarded as a one-sided heist by Atlanta, and that eventually led the Heat to hire Pat Riley as their coach and VP of Basketball Operations.

Atlanta Hawks

Smith started in 59 of 78 games for Atlanta and averaged 16 points during the regular season and 19 points in the playoffs, as the Hawks lost in a first round sweep to the Indiana Pacers. He would go on to average a then career-high 18.1 points a game in 80 starts in the 1995–96 season, forming a formidable backcourt one-two punch with Mookie Blaylock. The team under head coach Lenny Wilkens would win 46 games and defeat the Indiana Pacers in the first round in 5 games. The next round, while facing the Orlando Magic, Smith led all scorers in a Game 4 win with 35 points, before Atlanta lost the series 4 games to 1. Smith averaged 21.7 points in 10 playoff games that postseason.

The following season would feature another career high scoring average (20.1) for Smith, as he continued to serve as the Hawks' main option on offense. On March 14, 1997, Smith made a career high 9 three-pointers en route to a 36 point total, during a loss to the Seattle SuperSonics. On April 9, Smith recorded a career high 5 steals in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Atlanta also featured players such as solid power-forward Christian Laettner and defensive star Dikembe Mutombo, and would go on to win 56 games before meeting and defeating the Detroit Pistons in a 5-game first round series. Smith played well against Detroit and held his own against Michael Jordan and the defending champion Chicago Bulls, who defeated the Hawks in 5 games in the semifinals.  The following season would be similar to Smith as he once again averaged 20.1 points a game, but this time managed to be named an NBA All-Star as he scored 14 points in 16 minutes of action in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. The Hawks would disappoint in the playoffs yet again however, this time losing to the Charlotte Hornets 3 games to 1 in the conference semifinals despite a 24.8 ppg scoring average by Smith for the series.

The 1998–99 season would be limited to 50 games as a result of a league wide lockout, and in 36 games Smith averaged 18.7 points a game and led the Hawks to another 5 game first round victory over Detroit.  The Hawks had no answer, however, for the New York Knicks, and again the Hawks were eliminated in the semifinals. Smith averaged 17.3 points a game in the 1999 playoffs. In the offseason, the Hawks traded Smith in a 4 player trade to the Portland Trail Blazers which included Isaiah Rider, who had served as Portland's starting shooting guard and who Smith would now replace.

Portland Trail Blazers
Portland was a loaded team that had reached the Western Conference Finals in the 1999 playoffs and featured star forward Rasheed Wallace as well as the newly acquired Scottie Pippen. Smith would no longer be required to carry the offensive load, and averaged 14.9 points a game in 81 starts as the Trail Blazers secured the second best record in the Western Conference. Smith would increase his scoring average to 17.1 in the playoffs, as Portland would defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round before beating the Utah Jazz in the semifinals. Up next would be the league best Los Angeles Lakers, who took a 3–1 series lead over Portland before the Trail Blazers won game 5 on the road and game 6 at home as Smith scored 26 points to set up a game 7 matchup. Despite leading by double digits heading into the fourth quarter, the Lakers came back to win the game and advance to the NBA Finals where they would win the NBA Title.

That summer, Smith represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics for the United States men's national basketball team, which won the gold medal. He averaged just over 6 points a game in the Olympics including a 12-point performance against China in the group stage of the tournament.

The Trail Blazers entered the 2000–01 season with high expectations, but struggled to repeat the success of the previous season, as injuries took their toll and new additions and trades hurt team chemistry.  Smith only started in 36 of 81 games, but still managed to 13.6 points a game. Portland would suffer another loss to the Lakers in the playoffs, this time in a three-game sweep in the first round.  Following the season he would be traded to the San Antonio Spurs for Derek Anderson and Steve Kerr.

San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs featured superstars Tim Duncan and David Robinson, and were attempting to win another championship as they had in 1999. Smith would be utilized as the team's starting shooting guard, averaging 11.6 points a game in 76 starts while leading in the league in three-point shooting at 47 percent for the season.  Smith would average double figure scoring in the Spurs' first round win over the Seattle SuperSonics, including 17 points in a game 1 victory, but struggled against the defending champion L.A. Lakers, who defeated the Spurs in 5 games.

The following 2002–03 season would mark Smith's final year in San Antonio, while second-year point guard Tony Parker blossomed into the team's second leading scorer.  The same was the case for guard Stephen Jackson who consequently came to serve as the team's main starting shooting guard, with Smith starting in just 18 games for the season as a result of injuries limiting him to just 58 total games. As a result, Smith averaged 6.8 points a game, and would be used sparingly in the Spurs' playoff run, in which the team eliminated the Phoenix Suns, the three-time champion Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks before defeating the New Jersey Nets in six games to win the NBA title, Smith's first and only championship. Just before the 2003–2004 season started, the free agent Smith signed with the New Orleans Hornets.

New Orleans Hornets
Smith played in 71 games for the Hornets, who were led by Baron Davis and Jamaal Magloire. He averaged 5 points a game and shot 40 percent from beyond the three-point arc.  The Hornets made the playoffs but lost in a grueling back and forth series against Miami. Despite losing the final 7th game in Miami, Smith scored 25 points, including 5 three-pointers, against his former team. Once again a free agent before the following season, Smith signed with the Charlotte Bobcats.

Charlotte Bobcats, Return to Miami
Smith played in 37 games for the young Bobcats team, and averaged 7.9 points a game, including hitting the franchise's first three-point field goal. At midseason he was traded to Miami for Malik Allen. He would be used sparingly by the Heat, including in their playoff run which concluded with a loss in the conference finals to the defending champion Detroit Pistons. Following the season Smith announced his retirement.

NBA career statistics

Regular season 

|-
| align="left" | 1991–92
| align="left" | Miami
| 61 || 59 || 29.6 || .454 || .320 || .748 || 3.1 || 4.6 || 1.0 || .3 || 12.0
|-
| align="left" | 1992–93
| align="left" | Miami
| 48 || 43 || 33.5 || .451 || .402 || .787 || 4.1 || 5.6 || 1.0 || .3 || 16.0
|-
| align="left" | 1993–94
| align="left" | Miami
| 78 || 77 || 35.6 || .456 || .347 || .835 || 4.5 || 5.1 || 1.1 || .4 || 17.3
|-
| align="left" | 1994–95
| align="left" | Miami
| 2 || 2 || 31.0 || .379 || .167 || .773 || 3.0 || 3.5 || 1.0 || .5 || 20.5
|-
| align="left" | 1994–95
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 78 || 59 || 33.4 || .427 || .334 || .845 || 3.5 || 3.4 || .8 || .4 || 16.2
|-
| align="left" | 1995–96
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 80 || 80 || 35.7 || .432 || .331 || .826 || 4.1 || 2.8 || .8 || .2 || 18.1
|-
| align="left" | 1996–97
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 72 || 72 || 39.1 || .429 || .335 || .847 || 3.3 || 4.2 || .9 || .3 || 20.1
|-
| align="left" | 1997–98
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 73 || 73 || 39.1 || .444 || .351 || .855 || 4.2 || 4.0 || 1.0 || .4 || 20.1
|-
| align="left" | 1998–99
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 36 || 36 || 36.5 || .402 || .338 || .849 || 4.2 || 3.3 || 1.0 || .3 || 18.7
|-
| align="left" | 1999–00
| align="left" | Portland
| 82 || 81 || 32.8 || .467 || .398 || .850 || 3.8 || 2.5 || .9 || .4 || 14.9
|-
| align="left" | 2000–01
| align="left" | Portland
| 81 || 36 || 31.4 || .456 || .339 || .890 || 3.4 || 2.6 || .6 || .3 || 13.6
|-
| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" | San Antonio
| 77 || 76 || 28.7 || .455 ||style="background:#cfecec;"| .472* || .878 || 2.5 || 2.0 || .7 || .2 || 11.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|  2002–03†
| align="left" | San Antonio
| 53 || 18 || 19.5 || .388 || .331 || .833 || 1.9 || 1.3 || .5 || .2 || 6.8
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | New Orleans
| 71 || 4 || 13.1 || .406 || .402 || .928 || 1.1 || .8 || .2 || .1 || 5.0
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Charlotte
| 37 || 1 || 17.2 || .427 || .422 || .870 || 1.3 || 1.5 || .3 || .2 || 7.9
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Miami
| 13 || 0 || 8.8 || .300 || .200 || .667 || 1.2 || 1.1 || .2 || .0 || 1.8
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 942 || 717 || 30.6 || .440 || .358 || .845 || 3.2 || 3.1 || .8 || .2 || 14.3
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| All-Star
| 1 || 0 || 16.0 || .500 || .400 || .000 || 3.0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 14.0

Playoffs 

|-
| align="left" | 1992
| align="left" | Miami
| 3 || 3 || 33.3 || .529 || .636 || .833 || 2.0 || 5.0 || 1.3 || .3 || 16.0
|-
| align="left" | 1994
| align="left" | Miami
| 5 || 5 || 38.4 || .413 || .409 || .840 || 6.0 || 2.2 || .8 || .4 || 19.2
|-
| align="left" | 1995
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 3 || 3 || 36.0 || .395 || .389 || .842 || 2.7 || 2.0 || 2.0 || .3 || 19.0
|-
| align="left" | 1996
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 10 || 10 || 42.1 || .439 || .410 || .808 || 4.1 || 3.2 || 1.3 || 1.3 || 21.7
|-
| align="left" | 1997
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 10 || 10 || 42.1 || .396 || .327 || .824 || 3.9 || 1.7 || .4 || .1 || 18.9
|-
| align="left" | 1998
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 4 || 4 || 40.0 || .574 || .500 || .688 || 2.8 || 2.3 || .5 || .8 || 24.8
|-
| align="left" | 1999
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 9 || 9 || 39.6 || .353 || .273 || .907 || 3.4 || 3.3 || 1.6 || .2 || 17.3
|-
| align="left" | 2000
| align="left" | Portland
| 16 || 16 || 37.8 || .486 || .547 || .885 || 2.5 || 2.8 || 1.2 || .3 || 17.1
|-
| align="left" | 2001
| align="left" | Portland
| 3 || 3 || 40.7 || .471 || .364 || .938 || 4.3 || 2.3 || .7 || .3 || 17.0
|-
| align="left" | 2002
| align="left" | San Antonio
| 10 || 10 || 29.8 || .368 || .263 || .967 || 3.4 || 1.7 || .8 || .1 || 10.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| 2003†
| align="left" | San Antonio
| 9 || 0 || 7.3 || .208 || .167 || 1.000 || .8 || .7 || .1 || .0 || 1.8
|-
| align="left" | 2004
| align="left" | New Orleans
| 5 || 0 || 9.2 || .462 || .545 || .667 || 1.6 || .2 || .0 || .0 || 6.4
|-
| align="left" | 2005
| align="left" | Miami
| 3 || 0 || 2.7 || .000 || - || - || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 90 || 73 || 32.2 || .426 || .394 || .858 || 3.0 || 2.2 || .9 || .3 || 14.9

Post-NBA career
Smith worked as an announcer on Atlanta Hawks games with Bob Rathbun and on the Big Ten Network as a college basketball analyst. For the 2008 season, Smith took a position at NBA TV, and was replaced for Hawks broadcasts by Dominique Wilkins. During the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend, he was a member of the Atlanta team that won the Shooting Stars Competition.

Charitable work
Smith is well known for his charitable pursuits, including a US$2.5 million gift in 1997 to his alma mater, Michigan State University, where he was a star guard under coach Jud Heathcote. Smith's donation helped to fund the Clara Bell Smith Student Athlete Academic Center, which is named for his mother. This was the largest single donation by a professional athlete to his former school in history.

Personal life
Smith first met his wife, Millie, at a charity tennis tournament in Detroit. They had a long-distance relationship for more than a year before getting married in 1996. The couple have two sons, Brayden and Davis, and Smith often coaches them in soccer and basketball.  He is the older cousin of NBA point guard Kay Felder.

Steve, who now resides in Atlanta, enjoys spending time with his kids and also enjoys the challenges of raising children.

References

External links

NBA.com: Where Are They Now: Steve Smith

1969 births
Living people
1994 FIBA World Championship players
21st-century African-American people
African-American basketball players
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Atlanta Hawks players
Basketball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Basketball players from Detroit
Charlotte Bobcats players
College basketball announcers in the United States
FIBA World Championship-winning players
Medalists at the 1989 Summer Universiade
Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Miami Heat draft picks
Miami Heat players
Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players
National Basketball Association All-Stars
National Basketball Association broadcasters
New Orleans Hornets players
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball
People from Highland Park, Michigan
Pershing High School alumni
Portland Trail Blazers players
San Antonio Spurs players
Shooting guards
United States men's national basketball team players
Universiade gold medalists for the United States
Universiade medalists in basketball
20th-century African-American sportspeople
Kenneth Malcolm Wharram (July 2, 1933 – January 10, 2017) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League, all with the Chicago Black Hawks, wearing number 17. He won a Stanley Cup in 1961.

Early life and career
Wharram started his hockey career with his hometown team the North Bay Black Hawks in 1949 before switching the next season to the Galt Black Hawks for whom he played three seasons. He played one match for the Galt team's parent club the Chicago Black Hawks in 1951 before returning for another season to Galt. He played 29 matches for the Hawks in 1953–54 but spent an equal amount of time at the Quebec Aces in the Quebec Hockey League before joining the American Hockey League Buffalo Bisons in 1954. Under the training of Bisons' coach Harry Watson he enjoyed four productive seasons, made the AHL's second all star team in 1955, and returned to Chicago to stay in 1958.

The Scooter Line
Wharram still seemed to struggle to find a spot on the Hawks until he was teamed on a line with Stan Mikita. Mikita and Wharram meshed well together and Wharram's production - attributable to his considerable speed and puck-handling skills - soared. He would have seven straight seasons scoring 20 or more goals.

All that was needed was a left winger, and the Hawks got one in veteran Ted Lindsay, then near the end of his career. It would be Lindsay, Mikita and Wharram who formed the original Scooter Line. After Lindsay retired, Ab McDonald assumed the honors, and it would be this version of the Scooter Line in force when the Hawks won the 1961 Stanley Cup. After McDonald was traded to the Boston Bruins, Doug Mohns was placed in the left wing spot.

Sudden retirement and death
Wharram was attending the Black Hawks' training camp on September 16, 1969 when he noticed he was having chest pains. He was quickly sent to a hospital intensive care unit where he was diagnosed with myocarditis. Wharram's condition worsened to the point where he needed to be trained how to stay awake. The process took weeks, and while Wharram's life was eventually out of danger, the stress of playing hockey made a comeback out of the question. He officially retired in September 1970 and settled down in North Bay as a carpenter. He was inducted to the North Bay Hall of Fame in 1980. Wharram died on January 10, 2017 at the age of 83.

Career statistics

References

Legends of Hockey article on Ken Wharram

External links
 

1933 births
2017 deaths
Canadian ice hockey right wingers
Chicago Blackhawks players
Galt Black Hawks players
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winners
Sportspeople from North Bay, Ontario
Stanley Cup champions Eugene R. "Bumper" Tormohlen (May 12, 1937 – December 27, 2018) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was born and raised in Holland, Indiana; he attended Holland High and helped lead the Dutchmen to an IHSAA Sectional in 1953.

He was recruited to the University of Tennessee by former Purdue star Emmett Lowery.  During his time in Knoxville, Bumper became a 3-year starter, set the Tennessee career rebounding record (1,113 rebounds), a 16.9 rpg rate; was twice named All-SEC and was named to Converse's All-American team and become known to scores of Vols fans as the "Chairman of the Boards."

After a splendid college career at the University of Tennessee, Tormohlen was selected with the fifth pick in the second round of the 1959 NBA draft by the Syracuse Nationals.  However, his first years as a pro were spent in the NIBL with the Cleveland Pipers before being traded to the Kansas City Steers in the fledgling American Basketball League.  After two seasons in that league, he moved to the NBA, joining the St. Louis Hawks) in 1962.  His entire NBA playing career was with the Hawks; five seasons in St. Louis and one season in Atlanta.  He retired as an NBA player in 1970, having spent the 1968-68 & 1969-70 seasons as a player-coach for the Hawks. He was a member of the 1970 Western Division champions during his final season in uniform.

He remained with the Hawks, becoming an assistant coach for four seasons with the Hawks, and served as an interim coach at the end of the 1975–76 season; replacing Cotton Fitzsimmons.  The next season, the team hired Hubie Brown as their full-time head coach.  He spent several seasons as the Director of College Scouting for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Tormohlen died on December 27, 2018 at age 81.

References

External links
 BasketballReference: Gene Tormohlen (as player)
 Gene Tormohlen (as coach)
 Gene Tormohlen Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame profile
 Gene Tormohlen SEC Legends

1937 births
2018 deaths
People from Dubois County, Indiana
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Atlanta Hawks assistant coaches
Atlanta Hawks head coaches
Atlanta Hawks players
Basketball coaches from Indiana
Basketball players from Indiana
Centers (basketball)
Cleveland Pipers players
Kansas City Steers players
Phoenix Suns expansion draft picks
Power forwards (basketball)
St. Louis Hawks players
Syracuse Nationals draft picks
Tennessee Volunteers basketball players