Ish Smith Nearly Called it a Career Before Rejoining the Hornets

Before reuniting with the Charlotte Hornets this season, veteran guard Ish Smith nearly called it a career. According to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, Smith was planning on working with the folks upstairs in Denver, where he had just won an NBA championship.

"Before Smith signed with the Hornets on the last day of the offseason, he was on the verge of reuniting with the Nuggets in a front office role that he described to The Post as an apprenticeship. He would have been based out of Charlotte but with periodic trips to Denver, where he could shadow various people in basketball operations."

The Charlotte native told the media back in training camp how his return to the Hornets came about.

"I was driving up to a Wake Forest football game, and, I got the phone call from Buzz (Peterson). My agent called me and said, man, you still want to play? I was like, yeah, it's home it's a perfect situation and, so I came in worked out for the team worked out for coach and Buzz and Mitch, and it worked out."

In 26 games this season, Smith has averaged 3.8 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 rebounds. Here recently, he's filled in for a couple of starts and has kept things afloat to the best of his ability. More than anything, his presence in the locker room and on the bench is something the Hornets value. He's played nearly half a season with the majority of this roster before and they respect his knowledge of the game.

You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us on X:

Facebook - All Hornets

X - @All_Hornets and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.