When Joe Smith stepped onto the NBA court for the first time in 1995, he carried the weight of being the number one overall draft pick. Little did he know that his 16-year journey through the league would provide him with unique insights into the game’s toughest competitors. However, recently the former Golden State Warriors power forward shared a fact that no one thought would hear from him. But what was it?

In the recent episode of the “Above The Rim with DH 12” podcast, Dwight Howard asked the 49-year-old who was the strongest that he had played against. However, the former power forward’s answer shocked everyone. “Shawn Kemp…Shawn Kemp was the strongest… when people ask me like who’s the toughest. I was like Shawn Kemp. He was the strongest, most athletic guy that I have seen at that time, ever,” Smith responded to Howard’s question. But what was so surprising about Smith’s answer?

The answer lies in Smith’s debut game. Smith’s career arc reads like a roadmap of the late ’90s and 2000s NBA landscape. Selected first by the Golden State Warriors in the 1995 NBA draft, the 6’10” power forward brought high expectations and a polished game honed at the University of Maryland. His debut game was against the Houston Rockets, and in his very first game, he had to face the NBA legend Charles Barkley, who had scored an average of 23 PPG, 11.1 RPG, and 4.1 APG the last season.

Despite playing against such a professional team, the rookie at the time was able to deliver satisfactory results on the memorable ring night. He had scored 14 points and made 3 rebounds and 1 assist that night. “I mean that’s crazy, cause that’s our, that was actually our very first game. My very first NBA game…So, you know, it was ring night in Houston. They were getting their rings, they got the banner going up, so… I’m over there, eyes this big,” said the former power forward during the podcast.

The surprising fact was that despite playing Charles Barkley in his debut match, Smith still thought that Shawn Kemp was the toughest for him. There’s a reason he thinks that. During the 90’s, Kemp was in his ultimate form. During Smith’s debut year, Kemp averaged 19.6 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and 2.2 APG. Even Kemp’s team, the Seattle Supersonics, swept the season series against the Warriors, in which Kemp dropped 32/16/7 in the first matchup.

In the end, Smith’s revelation does more than just elevate Shawn Kemp’s status in basketball lore. It reminds us that in the NBA, as in life, our toughest challenges often come from unexpected sources, and that wisdom can be found in the most surprising of places. However, apart from this revelation, Smith also talked about one of the biggest incidents in his career.

Joe Smith shared the Latrell Sprewell incident

As Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are said to be one of the best duos in the history of the Chicago Bulls, and the NBA, Joe Smith and Latrell Sprewell were no different. But something happened in 1997 that changed everything. Smith shared during the podcast that coach PJ Carlesimo would always call out Sprewell during practice for no reason. He claimed that the shooting guard was one of the hardest-working players on the team and that he never took a day off.

One day Sprewell couldn’t take Carlesimo’s antics anymore, and let his anger take over; “One day, he just couldn’t take it no more…It was a buildup. It was weeks and weeks of it. And one day he just couldn’t take it no more. And PJ came up too wrong and then he got too close.”

As a result, Sprewell was suspended for 68 games and ended up leaving the team. While the incident remains a blemish on the history of the NBA, it has also catalyzed discussions about mental health and player behavior in sports.