Alright, so the other day I found myself wondering about Kenny “The Jet” Smith. You know how it is, sometimes a random question just pops into your head and you gotta find the answer. For me, it was all about when he actually started his major gigs. I mean, the guy’s been around for a while, both on the court and on TV.
Figuring Out His NBA Start
My first thought was, okay, when did he even join the NBA? I remember watching him play, but the exact year? A bit hazy. So, I did what most folks would do, I started digging around online. My first searches were pretty generic, something like “kenny smith career start” or “kenny smith drafted”.
It took a little bit of sifting through stuff. You get a lot of articles, highlights, all that jazz. But I was looking for that specific “joined the league” date. I focused on looking for info about his draft year and his first team. After a few clicks here and there, checking out some sports encyclopedia type sites, I finally nailed it down.
Turns out, Kenny Smith was drafted and joined the NBA back in 1987. He started his journey with the Sacramento Kings. Man, 1987! That really takes you back, doesn’t it?
Then Came TNT’s “Inside the NBA”
So, that was one piece of the puzzle. But the other big thing I was curious about was his gig on TNT. “Inside the NBA” is legendary, and Kenny’s a huge part of what makes that show great. So, when did he become a permanent fixture there?
For this one, my search was a bit more targeted. I tried things like “kenny smith join tnt” or “when did kenny smith start inside the nba”. This search was a bit more straightforward, actually. The information about TV personalities is often a bit easier to pinpoint, I find.
It didn’t take too long to find that he made the switch to full-time broadcasting after his playing career wrapped up. And the year he officially joined the “Inside the NBA” crew was 1998. That felt right, timeline-wise, considering when he stopped playing professionally.
So, The Dates I Found
It was a fun little bit of digging, satisfying that itch of curiosity. So, just to lay it all out, here’s what my little research session turned up:
- NBA Debut (with the Sacramento Kings): 1987
- Joined TNT’s “Inside the NBA”: 1998
There you have it. Just a quick dive into some sports history. It’s always interesting to see when these familiar faces actually got started in the roles we know them for. Anyway, that was my little project for the day!
