Smith led the Spartans to a Big Ten Championship and Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1990 and hit a game-winning, last-second three-pointer to beat Wisconsin–Green Bay in the first round of the 1991 NCAA Tournament.

The young team made the playoffs to face the top seeded defending champion Chicago Bulls, who swept the Heat in 3 games in the first round.

He would go on to average a then career-high 18.1 points a game in 80 starts in the 1995–96 season, forming a formidable backcourt one-two punch with Mookie Blaylock.

The following season would feature another career high scoring average (20.1) for Smith, as he continued to serve as the Hawks' main option on offense.

On March 14, 1997, Smith made a career high 9 three-pointers en route to a 36-point total, during a loss to the Seattle SuperSonics.

[6] Atlanta also featured players such as solid power-forward Christian Laettner and defensive star Dikembe Mutombo, and would go on to win 56 games before meeting and defeating the Detroit Pistons in a 5-game first round series.

Smith played well against Detroit and held his own against Michael Jordan and the defending champion Chicago Bulls, who defeated the Hawks in 5 games in the semifinals.

The Hawks would disappoint in the playoffs yet again however, this time losing to the Charlotte Hornets 3 games to 1 in the conference semifinals despite a 24.8 ppg scoring average by Smith for the series.

Portland was a loaded team that had reached the Western Conference Finals in the 2000 playoffs and featured star forward Rasheed Wallace as well as the newly acquired Scottie Pippen.

Smith would no longer be required to carry the offensive load, and averaged 14.9 points a game in 81 starts as the Trail Blazers secured the second best record in the Western Conference.

Smith would increase his scoring average to 17.1 in the playoffs, as Portland would defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round before beating the Utah Jazz in the semifinals.

The following 2002–03 season would mark Smith's final year in San Antonio, while second-year point guard Tony Parker blossomed into the team's second leading scorer.

He would be used sparingly by the Heat, including in their playoff run which concluded with a loss in the conference finals to the defending champion Detroit Pistons.

[8] Smith worked as an announcer on Atlanta Hawks games with Bob Rathbun and on the Big Ten Network as a college basketball analyst.

[9] Smith is well known for his charitable pursuits, including a US$2.5 million gift in 1997 to his alma mater, Michigan State University, where he was a star guard under coach Jud Heathcote.