Marcus Smart is a professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Memphis Grizzlies. He is one of the best perimeter defenders in the game today. He is also one of the scrappiest players and makes all the winning plays a team needs. He is a former defensive player of the year who was drafted by the Boston Celtics back on June 26th, 2014 as the sixth pick in the very first round.
Before playing with Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown, Smart played alongside Isaiah Thomas who was a former star for the Boston Celtics. Smart credits Thomas for helping him grow in the NBA. Thomas returned the favor by saying “If you’re trying to win, put Marcus Smart in.”
Smart plays elite defense and can also help the team by rebounding and playmaking. He can handle the ball, make needle-threading passes, and get a stop on the opposite end. His value to a team is tremendous. He also went to the NBA finals with the Celtics back in the 2021-22 season. He was the floor general on the team and also was the defensive anchor which earned them a trip to the NBA finals. While they ended up losing to the Golden State Warriors in 6 games, Smart and the Celtics beat powerhouse teams like the Nets, Bucks, and Miami to advance to the finals.
He spent 9 seasons with the Celtics and ultimately got traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Celtics wanted to give other guards more opportunities and allow more leadership roles to Tatum and Brown, for which they traded Smart.
Even though he was traded, his value to the Celtics organization was huge because he helped Boston reach the conference finals five times and also had a trip to the NBA finals.
Marcus Smart’s Green Hair
Smart dyed his hair color green to honor his late mother, Camellia Smart. It was dyed right before the Celtics faced the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the 2022 NBA playoffs. His mother was battling myelodysplastic syndrome in which immature blood cells in the bone marrow do not mature and it is a rare form of bone marrow cancer.
The NBA posted a video where Smart explained why he dyed his hair and he said “My mom always loved my hair and the things I was doing with it from the braids to letting it grow out.” He continued by saying, “And I started to dye it and she really liked that. She always said she wanted to see me in green, but obviously she passed away so she never got to see me [with green hair]. So, when we started this playoff run, I was like, ‘For her, I’m gonna go ahead and dye it and see what it looks like.’ Everybody loved it, so now it’s kinda here.”
Smart is one of the best defenders in the NBA and has also won the NBA Hustle award three times. He is currently playing for the Memphis Grizzlies who are playing without their superstar Ja Morant. This season, Smart is averaging 12.5 points, 2.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game on 42.9 percent from the field and 29.5 percent from beyond the arc.
FAQs
A. Marcus Smart is 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m).
A. Marcus Smart's wingspan is 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m).
A. Smart's weight is 220 pounds (99 kg).
A. Marcus Smart is a combo guard who can play both, point guard and shooting guard.
