CINCINNATI — Adrian “Odie” Smith, whose Hall of Fame basketball career included a college national title with Kentucky, a gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics and a 10-year stint in the NBA, has died at age 89.
Smith died on April 28th, the University of Kentucky said in a statement. There was no word on how or where Smith died.
Smith played for the Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) from the 1961-62 NBA season until the 1969-70 season, when he was traded to the San Francisco (now Golden State) Warriors.
The 6-foot-1 guard, who was named MVP of the 1966 NBA All-Star game, also played one season in the ABA with the Virginia Squires, finishing his pro career as a teammate of then-rookie Julius “Dr. J” Erving.
Smith grew up in rural Graves County, Kentucky, in a farmhouse without electricity or indoor plumbing. His path to profession basketball began with him tossing a homemade ball through a peach basket nailed to a tree.
His college career began at Northeast Mississippi Junior College, where his coach persuaded a Kentucky assistant to watch him, resulting in a scholarship offer from the Wildcats.
Smith played two seasons for Kentucky, averaging 10.2 points, and was one of the “Fiddlin’ Five” who brought the Wildcats a 1958 national title.
Smith served in the U.S. Army and was selected for the U.S. men’s national team for 1960 Olympic Games. A year later, he began his NBA career alongside Oscar Robertson in Cincinnati.
Smith was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 along with the gold medal-winning 1960 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team.
Smith is survived by his son, Tyler, and his brother, Kenny.
