@Versatile Wolf he was in the NBA for 10 years and was the starting point guard for a team that won back to back championships. Not to mention he averaged 13 and 5... which is more likely more than you will in flippin high school
No wonder Kenny Smiths nickname is "The Jet". Outstanding quickness and speed, and nice hops too. I only watched him play at the later stage of his career, when he had lost most of his athleticism, but was still a great shooter.
saturndual32 I bet you youngish didn't realize that Kenny and MJ were the UNC backcourt in Michael's last year at UNC. they would have won the championship if Kenny did not get hurt. I am thankful he did because Georgetown my team won in 1984.
Ay but look ego don't matter is you're running through the lanes hitting your 3s and puttin the work in. He gets that right because he's proven. And look, hoopin on the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen? Stop it.
@@Firstname_Surname Thanks, but I was counting only pro basketball players...as in playing in leagues and getting paid. Numbers fluctuate wildly due to constant movement, retirements, etc...but I think it's safe to say NBA players are generally around the top 1%
Kenny was NO scrub, so I dont know why people think he doesn't deserve to have a voice. I watched him played in the 90's, and he was a good player. He was also an efficent shooter. 48% from the field goal 40% from the 3 pointer..
Think about it... Millions of geniuses that can't even play NBA Live have something negative to say about a guy that was an NBA Starter for 10+ years. Never mind he was a major contributor on 2 championship teams. People are IGNORANT. They think a guy like Smith averaging 13ppg means he never went for 30 or 40, it's called an average for a reason! He had to share the ball with some REAL TALENT in Houston!!! Besides, the PG was played different then and if your PG was your leading scorer it probably meant your team wasn't very good.
@@MTXSHO9732vV8SHO all people are ignorant since we call nba players bums and chokers since we even have the audacity to do that all nba fans are ignorant
@@yogab lol, he has made plays in the nba finals while mj was watching at home after getting sent to cancun by shaq...stop the dicc riding. best play of his career what? a regular season game?
They aren’t running from the same starting position. Smith is already facing the direction he is going and Jordan is turning around to chase . Hardly anything to compare.
Man, when you can pull off a steal on MJ, outpace him to the hoop and jam it home - you know you're on the level. Kenny needs more respect he was a really good player, only reason he gets trashed by Charles and Shaq is they were Greats, props to Kenny for always standing up to those guys, i mean imagine how tired he is of it year after year and you can all see how good he was.
and now they call him a bus rider. after seeing this stat of him averaging 27 points in this finals match up I come to the conclusion that he probably could have been the bus driver on a team in this era with how 3s are more prevalent. I already liked him anyway but he deserves A LOT more respect on his name.
bro you saw it yourself, its really not that hard to steal a ball and outpace mj to the hoop,dude is actualy slow...as you can see yourself too.the whole nba tday can do the same thing
all these years, Shaq had us thinking Kenny Smith was an absolute garbage and got carried by Hakeem Olajuwon to championships. Turned out he was very nice on the courtand can really shoot that thing. not to mention, Kenny made 6 three-pointers in game 1 in the finals against Shaq and The Orlando Magic. Kenny basically handed Shaq his first of 4 L’s in the 1995 finals sweep, and Shaq is still mad about it till this day i see
So nice to be able to rewind to the old days using modern technology. I quit following b-ball years ago. But I can still watch the greats on You Tube now and then...
@@CosmicTuxedo tbf nowadays all these highlights would be mid. Imagine Luka, embid, jokic, Tatum. They would literally be a cheat code in Jordan’s era. I would argue all of them would be better than Jordan if any of them played against him.
Wow. I thought Kenny was only a spot up shooter. And I never thought about why they called him the Jet. This man was hella fast sheesh. The steal he had that led to a fast break dunk happened really fast. He did it all in the court
He was pretty much the fastest player with the ball from endline to endline in the league and the highest leaping point guard in the league as well...with his athletic gift...great combination of speed and hops he underachieved..if underachieving means 13 and 5 career averages and 40 percent 3 pt shooter and starting point guard on back to back championships.
@@jimmy1569 his problem was injuries. Remember he was one of those players REALLY good at a young age. Loads of scholarship offers. really popular and kinda a big deal. Also was really smart in school. one of those destined to be great. kinda the opposite of MJ😭💀.
UCZy2XTLNrY9yBFn-xfjknSg I used to know Kenny when he was 14 and he used to come to the park in Rego Park...he had unbelievable athleticism...by far the best I had ever seen there....this was before he joined North Carolina...used to do 360's and twisting dunks even at that age...to me he was the Michael Jordan of the park....before he teamed up with him in the starting backcourt as a freshman in North Carolina....don't believe the hype....kenny was super talented and highly skilled....not too many players averaged 13 and 5 for their careers and repeated as a back to back champion as the starting point guard in Houston....Kenny is top 500 on the goat list and that is saying something...he might not be highly ranked as his co-hosts on Inside The Nba but to be in the top 500 basketball players that ever played in the nba means he was no scrub.
Kenny Smith was one of the best shooting point guards in the 90's and he won 2 championships back to back would've love to see them against the Bulls in 94' and 95'
@Hector Lopez Ask Vernon Maxwell that question cause I'm not beat Phil Jackson played Hakeem 1-on-1 in the 2 regular season games, but in the NBA FINALS he would've never did that respectfully‼️
Kenny was the classic NY point guard. Great court vision and playmaking, quick first step, shifty, deceptive bounce, clutch shooter, tough pesky defender. Rockets backcourt of Jet, Vernon Maxwell, & Mario Eiie don’t get enough love. They were undersized guards who held their own in 7 games against the Pat Riley Knicks. They had a certain toughness and tenacity with Dream behind them in the paint.
Kenny "bring me some water" Smith was pretty quick and good. I see why he wished he could've been an all-star. He was close and probably wished he worked just a little harder to get that all-star selection. Averaging 17 pts a game all he needed was a little more skill to get that 20+
I know people who are younger and watch Inside the NBA love to clown Kenny but his game was nice. He wasn't Kobe or Jordan but he was in the League for a reason so respect to him and whoever uploaded this.
They were both going back and forth pretty evenly lol. They couldnt stop either of them. Not sure why fanboys have to make everything about MJ, doesnt he get enough love as is.
So much for the Jordan can't go left. Majority of the highlights were going left or receiving the ball in the left block. By the way, Kenny was nice, he would be a better player in todays NBA because he was athletic and shooter at the same time.
I have to admit I never followed Kenny back when he played but this video shows that he was a VERY talented and athletic guard! He’s playing and winning against the best to ever play! I’m gonna give you a pass on your ego now buddy. I see why you have it lol!
This is why Jordan is and will always be the goat.. I could t take my eyes off him. He just moved different. His movements and style while would garner screams and reactions in this current nba generation of super athletes
0:51 no body has that combination of quickness and instinct in the post like jordan does. that quick fake to the middle is basically embedded to him every time he catches the ball. talking about no fuss, today's stars might have fancier ball handling but none are as effective as jordan.
+popeyeisgood Well said...and how would today's players handle the sophisticated and physical style of defense that MJ went up against every night?...of course he was sick in this game too.
Retro Basketball Highlights omg the same way he did damn we’re talking about nba pros not average people on the street they would adapt and theirs way better ball handlers and shooters today they would cook them
Steph curry would have scored 100 on this type of defense. Could u imagine somebody giving steph as much space as they gave Jordan until he drove. Every player in the league would’ve had at least 50 in today’s nba
They would adapt, they wouldnt play this defense against curry. They knew jordan had a low % 3 pt shot so they gave it to him. You couldnt really stop MJ without fouling him.
Do people realize Kenny Smith was Mr New York(high school) when that ment something. RECRUITED to North Carolina. DRAFTED tobthe NBA in the Top 10. Was nick named THE JET, avg 17ppg, 7asg early on, won 2 CHAMPIONSHIPS?
Even if you just watch the show and miss his old highlights. You can tell his more than a role player. Chuck and Shaq downplay each other too even though they are HOF legends lmao. I hope viewers can differentiate a joke from what's in reality.
Kenny the Jet is the best Kenny out of all the Kenny's that came in the league. From Brooklyn to Queens he held it down in the boroughs and winning the chip twice
Nah I don't think that the championship 🏆 series between these two that never was, would have been as much in Houston's favor as people may think. Michael had an uncanny ability to turn his game ALL the way up.
If Kenny was confident and aggressive he could of been an all star plus an hall of gamer easy money. I watched this man steal it from Pippen and Jordan then dunk past both of them. Don’t play wit Kenny 💯
This was in 1991, I know Chicago won the finals championship, what's the Houston Rockets excuse. MJ always played with heart, never backed down or made excuses.
I love how he hates Luka so much. He downplays everything he does so much. (Game 4 Mavs/Wolves and Luka's alley-oop pass to Derrick Jones - Kenny rambling on about how that's easy etc... Charles said it was so smooth and a beautiful pass. Next time they're talking to Luka, watch Kenny's face even if he's not speaking, the envy and hate is so palpable. lol
I see what you mean, or at least with just this game theres nobody that looks like a bodybuilder or looks like they should be playing football or something