Joe Smith Biography

Joseph Leynard Smith was born on July 26, 1975. He is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and musician. He played as a power forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 16 years, for 12 different teams. He was the College Player of the Year at Maryland in 1995 and the No. 1 pick of the 1995 NBA draft. He is also a rap artist who goes by the stage name Joe Beast.

Full Name	Joseph Leynard Smith
Nickname	Joe Smith
Date of Birth	July 26, 1975
Place of Birth	Norfolk, Virginia
Occupation	Ex-Basketballer \| Musician \| Coach
Spouse	Kisha Chavis Yolanda Smith (div., 2011)
Children	Jalen, Joshua, and Jada
Net Worth	$25 million
Social Media Handles	Instagram: @joesmithbasketball Twitter: @JoeBeast95 Facebook: Joe Smith

Early Life and Education

Joe Smith was born on July 26, 1975, in Norfolk, Virginia. He attended Matthew Fontaine Maury High School, where he played basketball and was named a Parade All-American. He then enrolled at the University of Maryland, where he played for two seasons under coach Gary Williams. Joe Smith averaged 20.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore and won several awards, including the Naismith College Player of the Year, the AP Player of the Year, and the Adolph Rupp Trophy. He also led the Terrapins to the Sweet Sixteen of the 1995 NCAA Tournament.

Career

Collegiate career

Smith played for Maryland for two seasons. As a sophomore, Smith averaged 20.8 points and 10.6 rebounds a game, and was named to the AP NCAA All-America Team. On March 2, 1995, Smith scored a collegiate career-high 40 points and made a game-winning tip-in shot during a 94-92 victory over Duke.

NBA career

Smith was selected by the Golden State Warriors as the first overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft before fellow power forwards Kevin Garnett, Antonio McDyess, and Rasheed Wallace, as well as guard Jerry Stackhouse. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in his first season, averaging 15.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He played for the Warriors for three seasons, before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1998.

Smith then became one of the most traded players in NBA history, playing for 12 teams in his 16-year career. He had stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves (twice), the Detroit Pistons, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Denver Nuggets, the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Atlanta Hawks, the New Jersey Nets, and the Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged 10.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in his career. His best season was in 2000-01 when he averaged 13.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game for the Pistons and the Timberwolves.

Smith retired from playing in 2011. He holds the NBA record for playing for the most teams (12), along with Jim Jackson, Tony Massenburg, Chucky Brown, and Ish Smith.

Coaching career

After retiring from playing, Smith became a coach with CoachUp, a private coaching service that connects athletes with coaches. He also worked as an assistant coach for Oak Hill Academy’s basketball team in Virginia.

Music career

Smith is also a rap artist who goes by the stage name Joe Beast. He released his debut album The Beginning in 2008. He has collaborated with other artists such as Jadakiss, Fabolous, Nelly, Lil Wayne, and Rick Ross. Joe Smith also appeared on Shaquille O’Neal‘s album Shaq Diesel as a guest rapper.

Personal Life

Smith married his first wife Yolanda Smith in 1996. They have three children together: Jalen, Joshua, and Jada. They divorced in 2011 after Smith was caught cheating on her.

Smith then dated Kisha Chavis, a reality TV personality who appeared on Say Yes to the Dress and Basketball Wives. They married in 2018. However, they had marital problems after Chavis decided to create an OnlyFans account without consulting Smith. They argued over this issue on social media in October 2023.

Net Worth

Smith’s net worth is estimated to be around $25 million as of 2023. He earned over $60 million in salary during his NBA career. However, he lost a significant amount of money due to his divorce from his first wife and his involvement in an illegal contract scandal with the Timberwolves that resulted in him losing $86 million in potential earnings.