Marcus Smart

Marcus Osmond Smart (born March 6, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely considered one of the most accomplished and versatile defenders of his era, he has been selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team thrice and was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, becoming only the second point guard after Gary Payton to win the award. Smart played college basketball for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Smart was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He initially came off the bench for the Celtics before becoming the starting point guard in 2018. Smart helped the Celtics reach the NBA Finals in 2022. After eight seasons in Boston, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. However, after greatly struggling with injuries in Memphis, Smart was traded to the Washington Wizards in 2025. In July 2025, he signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent, following a buyout agreement with the Wizards and subsequent clearance through waivers.