Patterson Medal Winners
Smith, Kenny
Kenny Smith
- Induction:
- 1987
- Class:
- 1987
1987— Kenny Smith: Men’s Basketball (Queens, N.Y.)
National Player of the Year (Basketball Times), consensus first-team All-America and first-team All-ACC honoree in 1987 after leading UNC with 16.9 points and 209 assists. Broke Phil Ford’s UNC career assist record. Smith finished his career as Carolina’s all-time assists (768) and steals leader (195) and is currently second in assists and fifth in steals. He averaged 12.9 points and 6.0 assists. Smith led UNC to 14-0 ACC records and No. 1 rankings in 1984 and 1987 and set the school record (currently second) with 86 assists in NCAA Tournament play. He scored a career-high 41 points at Clemson in the 1987 season.
Smith played 11 years in the NBA, winning titles with Houston in 1994 and 1995, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1988.
He is currently a basketball TV analyst for Turner and co-host of Inside the NBA, an Emmy Award winning studio show. Smith was inducted into the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame in 2023.
His son, K.J., played for the Tar Heels from 2018-21.
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National Player of the Year (Basketball Times), consensus first-team All-America and first-team All-ACC honoree in 1987 after leading UNC with 16.9 points and 209 assists. Broke Phil Ford’s UNC career assist record. Smith finished his career as Carolina’s all-time assists (768) and steals leader (195) and is currently second in assists and fifth in steals. He averaged 12.9 points and 6.0 assists. Smith led UNC to 14-0 ACC records and No. 1 rankings in 1984 and 1987 and set the school record (currently second) with 86 assists in NCAA Tournament play. He scored a career-high 41 points at Clemson in the 1987 season.
Smith played 11 years in the NBA, winning titles with Houston in 1994 and 1995, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1988.
He is currently a basketball TV analyst for Turner and co-host of Inside the NBA, an Emmy Award winning studio show. Smith was inducted into the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame in 2023.
His son, K.J., played for the Tar Heels from 2018-21.
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