Rockets head coach Silas: I don't run any plays for Jabari Smith

Jabari Smith Sr. noticed that his son was crumbling emotionally. Smith Jr.’s legs shook so hard it made the table jump in the NBA draft’s green room at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The elder Smith grabbed his son’s leg and said some words of wisdom to calm him and put it all quickly in perspective. “So, they called Chet Holmgren’s name, and he lost it,” Smith Sr. told Andscape. “Leg went to shaking. I looked at him. He is almost in tears. And I forgot that he told me that OKC [promised to draft him], so I got to keep my mouth closed about that. I talked to him, ‘Well, hey, what are you doing? Straighten your face, man. You good, you good, you good.’ You know the camera was right at the table … -via Andscape / February 15, 2023

“First of all, you’re a millionaire. Second of all, I don’t think he understand the numbers of how many people in the world that play basketball who would love to just be in this room. It’s a blessing. It’s a [heck] of a day.” -via Andscape / February 15, 2023

With his father’s words and presence, Smith Jr. quickly began to compose himself. The angst was brief as he was selected with the third overall pick by the Houston Rockets. “People around me just reminded me, ‘You’re still the third pick in the draft,’ ” Smith Jr. said. “ ‘You’ve still accomplished something that a lot of people don’t accomplish, and that’s making it to the NBA.’ So, I had to put that behind me, just enjoy the moment, and live in the moment … “My dad was just telling me, ‘You would be disrespecting it to feel some type of way about getting drafted. This is the best day of your life. Enjoy it.’ ” -via Andscape / February 15, 2023