Smith earned a two-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets after a strong spring with the squad as the 2025-26 season came to a close.
“The way I was raised, I’ve always been big on pouring into those who poured into me first. I wouldn’t be where I am without this community, this city, this school.”
It feels like yesterday, doesn’t it? When it was Malachi Smith’s show in the Roundhouse and the 2021-22 Mocs made a memorable run to the big dance.
“I think of like, history, legendary, like, things that don’t happen often. The team that we had, I feel like, was one of the best teams in Chattanooga history,” Smith said.
And he is without a doubt one of the best players in Chattanooga history. Something he works endlessly to prove as he continues to chase his NBA dreams.
“I have a never say no mentality. I’ve been told a lot of noes, it’s not going to happen, it’s not going to work. But I’ve always just used that as an opportunity to, like, grow.”
And it’s the same never say no mentality that led him to his shot this spring. Smith earned a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets. Then another one. An opportunity he didn’t take for granted, and also, took full advantage of.
“Just control one day at a time. Don’t look at day ten without looking at day one. I just was like; I prayed and worked for this moment,” Smith said.
So, now that I have this opportunity, I’m just going to have fun and do the same thing I’ve been doing. Just have fun, play my game, and like, rely on my instincts.”
It should come as no surprise that after averaging 11 points per game in the month of April, the Nets signed Smith to a two-year deal. There’s still a long road ahead for the former SoCon Player of the Year. But he’s proven he’s built for it, and molded, by Chattanooga.
“I’m never going to forget that this place helped shape my career. Before here, I wasn’t the player that I was. When I left here, I was the player I became.”