Education
Ballard-Hudson High School.
Ballard-Hudson High School.
A 7"0" center from Kentucky State University, he played in the National Basketball Association from 1971 to 1979. In his first season, Smith averaged 17.3 points per game and 15.2 rebounds per game and was named to the National Basketball Association All-Rookie Team. His rebounding average for that season is the eighth-highest ever recorded by an National Basketball Association rookie.
Smith is best remembered for his shot-blocking, earning him the nickname "Elmore the Rejector".
He led the league in total blocked shots twice (in 1974 and 1975), and holds the National Basketball Association record for most blocked shots in a game since 1973, with 17. Smith"s average of 4.85 blocks per game from the 1973-1974 season (the first season blocked shots were officially recorded in the National Basketball Association) is the third highest ever.
He was also a skilled rebounder, and he averaged a double-double (134 points, 106 rebounds) over the course of his career. Smith was one of four players the Lakers traded to Milwaukee (along Brian Winters and draft picks Junior Bridgeman and Dave Meyers) in exchange for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after the 1974-1975 National Basketball Association season.
He holds the Los Angeles Clippers" (formerly the Buffalo Braves) franchise record for rebounds per game (138).
He was a member of the Buffalo Braves, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Buckinghamshire, and Cleveland Cavaliers.