A point guard during his career, he played for the Denver Rockets and Utah Stars and once led the ABA in assists in a season.

[1] Smith played basketball, football, and baseball at Manual, earning All-State honors in all three sports.

Smith spent four years at Bradley, though his time in college was interrupted by a two-year stint in the United States Army.

[5] As a college basketball player, he scored over 1,000 points for Bradley and was named first team All-Missouri Valley Conference in 1971 during his senior season.

[1] Smith became the Rockets' regular point guard during the 1972–1973 season after Brown took a job as head coach.

[5] On December 19, 2022, police were called to Smith's apartment in Palmer Ranch, Florida, after he shot his live-in girlfriend.