Malloy Smith, the son of Kenny Smith, is a three-star point guard recruit in the class of 2026 out of high school powerhouse Mater Dei (CA). And with Kenny being a longtime star on Inside the NBA, that led to a fun opportunity for Malloy to announce where he’ll play college basketball live on the show.
During Friday night’s edition of NBA Tip-off on ESPN, Malloy hopped on video to speak with the Inside the NBA crew and announce his commitment decision.
In what’s not at all a surprise, Malloy announced that he will attend North Carolina to play college basketball for the Tar Heels.
“I think the best thing for me to do is join the Carolina family,” Malloy said.
Kenny, “The Jet”, was an All-American point guard at North Carolina and a teammate of Michael Jordan before winning two championships in the NBA.
“Your dad and I have been working together for a long, long time. Even before you were born,” Inside the NBA host Ernie Johnson said. “And so to have this day happen, do you know how proud that you’ve made this guy sitting to my left?”
“He’s helped me a lot,” Malloy said. “I can’t thank him enough of how much he’s done for me. Just training day in and day out, and always being there for me. I mean, yesterday, he was at my game.”
For Malloy to commit to North Carolina and to announce that on Inside the NBA has to indeed be a very proud, thrilling dad moment for Kenny.
Sometimes, the televised college commitment announcements can get a bit silly these days, but this was a pretty awesome, heartfelt segment on Inside the NBA.
