Randy Smith (basketball)
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Randolph "Randy" Smith (born December 12, 1948 in Bellport, New York) is a former professional basketball player who set the NBA record for consecutive games played. From 1972-1982, Smith played in every regular season game, en route to the record of 906 straight games (since broken by A.C. Green).
Smith was an outstanding all-around athlete at Buffalo State College, where he earned all-American honors in three sports: basketball, soccer and track. (In high school on Long Island, Smith set a state high jump record of 6-foot-6.) But it was on the basketball court that Smith shown brightest, teaming with Durie Burns to lead the “Bengals” to three straight conference championships, including a trip to the Final Four of the NCAA Division III Tournament in 1970.
Yet by national standards, Buffalo State was a small, obscure school, and it was only because of the local connection that Smith was drafted to the NBA at all; in 1971 he was selected by the Buffalo Braves in the seventh round (104th pick overall).
Smith surprised everyone in training camp, and he made the final roster cuts. Despite standing only 6-foot-3, he was assigned to play forward, and posted an outstanding rookie season, averaging 13.4 points per game.
Smith continued to improve beyond expectation, drawing on his tremendous speed, quickness and leaping ability. Playing alongside league scoring champion Bob McAdoo, Smith averaged 21.8 points per game in the 1975-76 season, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team.
Smith was an electrifying player. Playing in an era before hot-dog dunking became popular, he would thrill the crowd with amazing 360-degree reverse dunks (When dunking was still illegal in college basketball, he would perform the feat during pre-game warm-ups).
Smith was a tenacious defender. World B. Free called him “the toughest defender I ever faced in the pros." Smith holds Braves’ team records for most steals in a season (203) and most steals in one game (8, done 5 times).
The highlight of Smith’s career was the 1978 All-NBA All-Star Game, where he came off the bench to lead all scorers with 27 points, and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Smith played for seven years for the Braves until the franchise was shifted to the San Diego Clippers in 1978. That first year with the Clippers, Smith had his fourth consecutive season averaging over 20 points per game.
In 1979, Smith was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he was named team captain and played for two years. He spent the 1981 season with the New York Knicks, before moving back to San Diego for another season. Smith retired from professional basketball in 1983.
Smith is currently an executive host at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Smith and Angela Crayton, an executive with NBC in Northern California, were married on October 28, 2006, in Santa Barbara .
