Jabari Smith Jr.

Jabari Montsho Smith Jr. (born May 13, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Auburn Tigers.

Born in Fayetteville, Georgia to former professional basketball player Jabari Smith Sr., Smith began playing basketball at a young age under his fathers mentorship. Smith would attend Sandy Creek High School, where as a senior he would lead the team to a state championship appearance. In high school, Smith was named a McDonald's All-American and Mr. Georgia Basketball. A five star prospect, ranked the nations number 5 overall recruit, Smith committed to Auburn University to play college basketball. As a freshman at Auburn, Smith helped to lead the team to their first ever AP number one ranking and an SEC regular season championship. At the conclusion of his freshman year, Smith was named an All-American, and won the USBWA National Freshman of the Year Award. Following his freshman season, Smith would declare for the 2022 NBA Draft and was selected by the Rockets with the 3rd overall pick.