Jabari Smith reveals best advice from his dad

Former Auburn Tiger Jabari Smith is going through the many steps of the NBA Draft process this summer, and advice from his father is helping him along the way.

In an interview following Smith’s workout with the Orlando Magic, the top draft prospect was asked about his father’s guidance. Smith answered that, “he gives me a lot of advice.” That Jabari should “always have fun” with basketball. He shouldn’t do it “for the glamor and the cameras. Do it to win.”

Smith also noted that his dad, a former NBA player, “has been through everything I’m going through,” in regards to the draft process. Smith says that his dad is just trying to keep him focused on basketball. They can handle all the other stuff as it comes, but Jabari needs to stay focused on what got him here: playing good basketball.

Jabari’s father, Also named Jabari Smith, was part of the 2000 NBA Draft and was a second round pick to the Kings. He played a year and a half in Sacramento, then was shipped off to Philly, where he only stayed through the rest of that season. Then he traveled across the Atlantic ocean for a year in Spain after leaving Philadelphia, but returned and signed back with the Kings the next season. He played 31 games in his second stint in Sacramento and moved on to the New Jersey Nets after just one season. And after one year under the Nets, Smith called it a career.

Jabari Smith reveals biggest lesson learned at Auburn

Jabari Smith is a likely top-three choice in the 2022 NBA Draft and in contention to be the no. 1 overall pick to the Orlando Magic after spending one year at Auburn. The future pro believes he owes a lot of credit for his rise up the draft boards to the Tigers. Smith expressed he grew a lot as a player and as a person off the court.

During a recent interview, Smith was asked what his biggest takeaway was from a year playing college ball at Auburn. He answered, “relationships. How important it is to build relationships with your teammates.” Perhaps the chemistry between Smith and his Auburn teammates was a big reason why the Tigers had one of their most successful regular seasons in school history.

The Tiger forward also stressed the importance of developing outside of basketball in college. “Basketball’s fun, don’t take it for granted,” Smith said. Adding that, “college is a great experience in general.”

Jabari Smith is quite fond of his days at Auburn. Even if he was there for less than a year. He believes Bruce Pearl and Auburn shaped him for the better on his journey to the NBA.