Another NBA jersey is going up on the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ wall, as former guard Malachi Smith is signing a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets.
Smith averaged 14.4 points on 52 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent from three-point range, 5.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game with the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League team.
That now marks 34 players from the Pacific Northwest college basketball program who have played in the NBA. 13 of those are competing in the NBA right now.
Smith started his collegiate career with the Wright State Raiders from 2018-19, transferred to the Chattanooga Mocs from 2020-22, before making his way to Spokane, Washington. He was named the West Coast Conference Sixth Man of the Year in 2023 before entering his name into the 2023 NBA Draft, bypassing his final season of college eligibility.
After going undrafted, Smith has had stops with the G League’s Rip City Remix, Wisconsin Herd, Memphis Hustle, and Long Island Nets over the last three years.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
