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Tolu Smith
American basketball player From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Galen Edward Mitchell "Tolu" Smith III (born July 26, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Mississippi State Bulldogs.
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High school career
Smith was raised in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and played basketball at Bay High School.[1] He moved with his family to Hawaii in 2017 and enrolled at Kahuku High & Intermediate School in Kahuku for his senior season.[2] He was selected as the Honolulu Star-Advertiser All-State player of the year in 2018.[3]
College career
Smith played his freshman season for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and averaged 3.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.[3] He elected to transfer at the end of the season to join his home state Mississippi State Bulldogs.[3] Smith sat out the 2019–20 season due to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) transfer rules.[4]
Smith appeared in 30 games during his sophomore season but only started 20 during his junior season as he battled multiple injuries.[4] He returned to full health for his senior season in 2022–23 and started all 34 games.[4] Smith averaged 15.7 points with a league-leading 57.2% field goal percentage to earn first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors.[5] He declared for the 2023 NBA draft but returned to Mississippi State for his fifth year of collegiate eligibility.[5] Smith averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds per game during the 2023–24 season and was named to the All-SEC first-team.[6]
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Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Smith joined the Detroit Pistons for the 2024 NBA Summer League[7] and on September 17, 2024, he signed with the team.[8] However, he was waived on October 17[9] and on October 29, he joined the Motor City Cruise.[10] On January 6, 2025, he signed a two-way contract with the Pistons.[11] On April 13, Smith made his NBA debut against the Milwaukee Bucks in the final game of the regular season and scored 14 points with 8 rebounds.[12] He became the second Hawaii high school graduate to appear in an NBA game after Red Rocha who last played in 1957.[12]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
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Personal life
Smith was born to an African-American father and Samoan mother.[2] His father, Galen, worked as a computer specialist for the Naval Oceanographic Office,[2] and previously played college basketball in the United States Virgin Islands.[13] Smith's mother, Shannel, played basketball for the South Alabama Jaguars.[13] His older brother, Galen Jr., played basketball for the Xavier Gold Rush.[14]
Smith's nickname, "Tolu", means "three" in Samoan as he was the third Galen in his family.[15] He received his initials, G.E.M.S., because his parents considered him and his brother to be their "gems".[15]
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References
External links
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