BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Auburn All-American Jabari Smith was selected No. 3 overall by the Houston Rockets on Thursday night at the 2022 NBA Draft held at the Barclays Center.
Smith, the 2022 USBWA Wayman Tisdale and NABC Division I National Freshman of the Year, became the highest draft pick in program history at No. 3.
"I'm happy to be where I'm wanted," Smith said. "I'm glad they took a chance on me, and I'm ready to get in there and show them they made the right decision."
This past season, the SEC Freshman of the Year and All-SEC First Team selection helped lead the Tigers to the program's first No. 1 national ranking, an SEC regular-season championship, a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the third-most wins in school history.
"I'm just going to bring a competitive edge (to Houston)," added Smith. "My shooting ability, my ability to score, my ability to guard multiple positions and just my will to win. I'm a team player."
Smith is the son of Jabari Smith Sr., who played at LSU from 1998-2000 and was drafted in the second round, 45th overall, by the Sacramento Kings in the 2000 NBA Draft. His cousin, Kwame Brown, was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.
"I'm so excited for Jabari and his family," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "The fact that he gets to go to Houston, a pretty good basketball town and a really good organization, I'm excited for him. I'm happy for him. I'm absolutely disappointed that he wasn't the No. 1 player taken in the NBA Draft. That's a real prize. But he's going to go to a really good young club with really good pieces. He will be an NBA All-Star. There's no doubt in my mind."
The Tigers now boast 33 all-time NBA draft picks, including nine first-round draft picks and two NBA Lottery picks (Isaac Okoro in 2020).
Chuck Person and Chris Morris were previously Auburn's highest-ever NBA Draft Picks. Both were selected No. 4 in 1986 and 1988 respectively. Charles Barkley and Isaac Okoro were selected No. 5 in 1984 and 2020.
Smith is the fourth "One and Done" player from Auburn to enter the draft after his freshman year, joining Isaac Okoro in 2020 and Sharife Cooper and J.T. Thor in 2021.
AUBURN ALL-TIME NBA DRAFT PICKS (33)
1960 – Henry Hart, 12th Round, 82nd Overall, New York Knicks
1963 – Layton Johns, 4th Round, 34th Overall, Los Angles Lakers
1965 – Joe Newton, 3rd Round, 21st Overall, Washington Wizards
1966 – Lee DeFore, 4th Round, 31st Overall, New York Knicks
1971 – John Mengelt, 2nd Round, 21st Overall, Cincinnati Royals
1972 – Henry Harris, 8th Round, 120th Overall, Houston Rockets
1973 – Jim Retseck, 3rd Round, 46th Overall, Golden State Warriors
1976 – Gary Reddings, 5th Round, 73rd Overall, Portland Trail Blazers
1977 – Eddie Johnson, Jr., 3rd Round, 49th Overall, Atlanta Hawks
1978 – Mike Mitchell, 1st Round, 15th Overall, Cleveland Cavaliers
1978 – Stan Pietkiewicz, 7th Round, 133rd Overall, Buffalo Braves
1979 – Rich Valavicius, 7th Round, 143rd Overall, Houston Rockets
1981 – Earl Banks, 6th Round, 122nd Overall, Seattle SuperSonics
1981 – Bobby Cattage, 8th Round, 165th Overall, Utah Jazz
1983 – Darrell Lockhart, 2nd Round, 35th Overall, San Antonio Spurs
1983 – Odell Mosteller, 10th Round, 211th Overall, Utah Jazz
1984 – Charles Barkley, 1st Round, 5th Overall, Philadelphia 76ers
1984 – Greg Turner, 9th Round, 193rd Overall, Kansas City Kings
1986 – Chuck Person, 1st Round, 4th Overall, Indiana Pacers
1987 – Frank Ford, 6th Round, 138th Overall, Los Angeles Lakers
1987 – Gerald White, 7th Round, 158th Overall, Dallas Mavericks
1988 – Mike Jones, 3rd Round, 63rd Overall, Milwaukee Bucks
1994 – Wesley Person, 1st Round, 23rd Overall, Phoenix Suns
2000 – Mamadou N'Diaye, 1st Round, 26th Overall, Denver Nuggets
2000 – Chris Porter, 2nd Round, 55th Overall, Golden State Warriors
2001 – Jamison Brewer, 2nd Round, 40th Overall, Indiana Pacers
2019 – Chuma Okeke, 1st Round, 16th Overall, Orlando Magic
2020 – Isaac Okoro, 1st round, 5th Overall, Cleveland Cavaliers
2021 – JT Thor, 2nd Round, 37th Overall, Detroit Pistons
2021 – Sharife Cooper, 2nd Round, 48th Overall, Atlanta Hawks
2022 – Jabari Smith, 1st Round, 3rd Overall, Houston Rockets