BETWEEN
ENGLAND AND CROATIA.
I'M BRUCE RADER.
TONIGHT A "SPORTSWRAP"
SPECIAL
REPORT.
MAURY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE JOE
SMITH FROM
NORFOLK HAD IT ALL.
16-YEAR NBA CAREER WHERE HE
EARNED
$61 MILLION.
NATHAN EPSTEIN HAS PART ONE OF
THE THREE-PART SERIES THE
RISE, THE FALL AND THE REBOUND
OF JOE SMITH.
EVERYBODY KNEW WHO HE WAS.
NATHAN: EVERYBODY KNEW HE WAS
THE STAR WHEN HE PLAYED
FOR
COACH BAKER.
I PLAYED FOR COACH BAKER
AND IT WAS THE
BOST EXPERIENCE
OF -- BEST EXPERIENCE OF MY
BASKETBALL CAREER.
HE MEANT A
LOT TO ME.
I CAN'T TELL YOU HE AND I WERE
IN THE GYM IN THE SUMMER
WORKING ON HIS GAME.
THE BIGGER DIVISION I
PROGRAMS DIDN'T NOTICE JOE
UNTIL HIS SENIOR SEASON.
BUT HE
ALWAYS KNEW HE WAS
HEADED TO THE A.C.C.
VIRGINIA, MARYLAND, WAKE
FOREST, FLORIDA STATE AND
GEORGIA TECH.
I WANTED TO PLAY IN
THE A.C.C.
HE CHOSE TO PLAY FOR HALL
OF FAMER COACH GARY WILLIAMS
AND THE UNIVERSITY OF
MARYLAND
WHERE HE WAS NAMED THE A.C.C.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR.
THE NATIONAL
COLLEGIATE PLAYER
OF THE YEAR.
JOE SMITH FROM THE
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
AFTER JUST TWO SEASONS
BECAME THE SECOND YOUNGEST
PLAYER BEHIND MAGIC JOHNSON
TAKEN NUMBER ONE OVERALL IN
THE 1995 NBA DRAFT.
GOING AHEAD OF THE FUTURE
ALL-STARS KEVIN GARNETT,
STACKHOUSE AND
RASHEED
WALLACE.
YOU KNEW IT WAS A GOOD
DRAFT BUT
AFTER EVERYBODY'S
CAREER YOU SEE THE TALENT IN
DRAFT.
I WENT NUMBER ONE IN THAT
DRAFT.
HE
DESERVED THAT.
HE WORKED HARD TO GET THERE.
INITIALLY SIGNING WITH THE
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS HE WENT
TO PLAY FOR 12 NBA TEAMS OVER
16 SEASONS.
I ENJOYED IT.
I GOT
TO PLAY WITH SOME OF THE
GREATEST PLAYERS FROM LEBRON
JAMES, KEVIN
DURANT, KEVIN
GARNETT, KOBE BRYANT.
BEEN ON ONE TEAM YOU NEVER GET
A CHANCE TO
EXPERIENCE.
I ENJOY IT.
I HAD A GREAT CAREER.
NATHAN: IN PART TWO OF OUR
SERIES, HOW JOE SMITH WENT
FROM NBA MILLIONAIRE TO BROKE
WHEN
