Meet the newest member of the North Carolina basketball program: K.J. Smith — son of former UNC star Kenny Smith. The younger Smith, who will transfer from Pacific, will be a walk-on for the Tar Heels.
Inside Carolina was the first source to report the news Monday night.
Smith, a 6-2 point guard, spent most of his freshman season as a reserve point guard for the Pacific Tigers. He saw action in 24 games, and averaged 3.2 points. K.J. Smith’s final game at Pacific came in the West Coast Conference Tournament — a loss to eventual national runner-up Gonzaga.
A little before 11 p.m., K.J. Smith tweeted out a photo of himself, wearing his father’s No. 30 UNC jersey.
#tarheels pic.twitter.com/qkOqK8ItUk
— KJ Smith (@K30SMITH) June 20, 2017
Past meets present
K.J. Smith played his prep basketball at two of the top programs in America: Mater Dei in California and IMG Academy.
His father, Kenny, played in over 120 career games at North Carolina. The elder Smith was a four-year starter at UNC, and a consensus All-American in 1987 — along with current Wake Forest coach Danny Manning. Kenny Smith would go on to win two NBA championships with Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets. He played 11 seasons in the NBA.