Spartan Olympians: Steve Smith

STEVE SMITH, Member, U.S. men’s basketball team, 2001 Summer Games, Sydney, Australia, Gold Medal.

            Steve Smith won an Olympic gold medal in the 1992 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia, as a member of the “Dream Team III” U.S. basketball team.

            “The experience was unreal,” says Smith, currently a broadcaster for the Atlanta Hawks.  “I wish every American had a chance to experience the opening ceremonies.  You feel so proud to be walking in the stadium representing the American flag.”

            Smith’s team went 8-0 and dominated the competition.  “It’s the last gold medal the U.S. has won in international basketball competition,” he says, adding that what made his Olympic experience even better was having his friend and fellow Spartan Karen Dennis at the games as coach of the women’s track team.

            In 1990 the Detroit native led MSU to a Big Ten title and in 1991 his 23.2 points per game led the Big Ten conference. A two-time All-American and team captain, and three-time MVP, he is MSU’s second leading scorer ever with 2,263 points.  He played 14 years in the National Basketball Association, winning a world championship NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003. 

            Well-known for his charitable pursuits, Smith donated $2.5 million to help fund MSU’s Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center, named for his mother.  Smith also endowed scholarships for Detroit Pershing students to attend MSU.  Smith received the NBA’s 1997-98 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, and the 2001-02 Joe Dumars Sportsmanship Award.