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 father's mentorship. Smith attended Sandy Creek High School, where in his senior year the team made 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 nation's number seven overall recruit, he committed to Auburn University to play college basketball. As a freshman at Auburn, Smith helped the team achieve their first ever AP poll 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 Houston Rockets with the third overall pick. He is also a distant cousin of NBA player Kwame Brown.