Katie Smith

Katie Smith was a shooting guard who helped the USA win three consecutive Olympic gold medals from 2000 to 2008. She also took home three medals at the World Championships, with golds in 1998 and 2002 and a bronze in 2006.

Smith played at The Ohio State University from 1992-96, leading the Buckeyes to the NCAA Championship game as a freshman. Graduating in 1996 she broke the Big 10 record for career points scored, man or woman. Ohio State retired her number, the first female to have that honor, and she was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 2001. Smith has also been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, both in 2018.

Professionally Smith began playing with the Columbus Quest of the ABL in 1996 but moved to the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA in 1999. She was with the Lynx through 2005 although she played overseas in 2001-02 with Lotos Gdynia (Poland). From 2006-09 Smith played for the Detroit Shock, playing one off-season with Fenerbahçe Istanbul in 2009. She finished her career with the Washington Mystics (2010), Seattle Storm (2011-13), and the New York Liberty (2013).

Smith won ABL titles in 1997-98 with the Quest and WNBA titles in 2006 and 2008 with the Shock. She was a seven-time WNBA All-Star (2000-03, 2005-06, 2009) and named to the All-WNBA First Team in 2001 and 2003. She led the WNBA in scoring in 2001 and has been named to the WNBA Anniversary Teams of their 10th year (2006), 15th year (2011), 20th year (2016), and 25th year (2021).

Smith became a coach, starting as an assistant with the New York Liberty in 2014. In 2018 she was named the Liberty’s head coach, but in 2020 moved to the Minnesota Lynx as an assistant coach.