Dennis Smith Jr.’s name could be synonymous with false starts. For the 8 seasons he spent in the league, the 27-year-old point guard had failed stints in the NFL, in the G League with the Westchester Knicks and Wisconsin Herd, with his latest one in the Liga ACB.  While his experiences have been well documented, not much is known about his personal life. So, let’s uncover some of the details from Smith’s roots, focusing on his ethnicity and religion.

What is Dennis Smith Jr.’s ethnicity and religion?

Dennis Smith Jr. was born on November 25, 1997, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, which makes his nationality American. While he has never openly spoken anything about religion, it is known that growing up, Smith attended Christian schools, which would have a profound impact on his religious beliefs. Spending his high school years at Trinity Christian High School, Dennis had a highlighted career.

Starting as a bench player his freshman year, he led his team to a state championship as a sophomore, earning MVP honors. In his junior year, he was named North Carolina’s Gatorade Player of the Year. Unfortunately, he was sidelined for the majority of his senior year but was still rated a five-star recruit by ESPN, 247sports, Scout, and Rivals, becoming one of the best players of the class of ’16.

Receiving offers from Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Kentucky, Dennis committed to NC State to rehab his ACL injury from high school. Playing just for the freshman season, he earned ACC Rookie of the Year and All-ACC honors. Forgoing his remaining college eligibility, he was declared for the 2017 NBA Draft and left with a scandal.

Was Dennis Smith Jr. illegally recruited?

In a twist of events, it was found that Dennis Smith Jr.’s recruitment was illegal. It was discovered that a former assistant coach took a sum of $40,000 from an apparel company to help secure Smith’s commitment to the university. While he was found not guilty, it was ruled that other players received “numerous impermissible entertainment and recruiting benefits.”

The NCAA panel that determined the university’s case committed Level I, II, and III violations against NC State, resulting in penalties including fines, scholarship loss, recruiting restrictions, probation, and vacating 15 wins from the 2016-17 season. The coach who was involved in the bribery scandal received a severe, six-year show-cause order.

After being drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2017, Dennis showed a promising rookie season, earning All-Summer League First Team honors. In 2019, he got traded to the New York Knicks and has since had stints with multiple teams, such as the Detroit Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, and Brooklyn Nets.

It was reported that there was a time when Dennis considered shifting his career to the NFL as a defensive quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. However, he gave up his football dreams as he got an opportunity with the Hornets. In 2025, he moved from the NBA to the European Leagues with Real Madrid, but recently it was reported this stint might end.

It’s been 33 days since he joined the Spanish team, with him scoring only eleven points. As he moves ahead in his career, his fans look up to him irrespective of what happens.