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In the mid 1990’s it was no secret that the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks did not like each other because of their constant playoff clashes. They met six times between 1993-2000 in the NBA Playoffs. Each team won three times, but it was Indiana winning four of the final six series.
One player that was around for five of those series was Rik Smits, the Dunking Dutchman.
“Anytime I dunked on Patrick Ewing. I really enjoyed playing against the Knicks and playing against Ewing.” Smits shared when asked if he had a favorite dunk in his career on Query & Company Thursday afternoon.
Smits was selected with the second pick in the 1988 NBA Draft by Donnie Walsh out of Marist. As a freshman he averaged 11.2 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. In twenty-seven games as a senior, Smits averaged 24.7 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game. He and the former Pacers front office executive had a great relationship before he joined the franchise.
“Obviously I met Donnie before the draft, I met with three or four teams. I visited the Clippers, Philadelphia, and the Pacers. I got to know Donnie pretty well beforehand. He pretty much promised me that if I was available at the second pick, he would pick me. Even though he said that, I still had my doubts because I was shy, not too confident guy, so there’s no way their going to pick me second. Fortunately they did and I’m glad they did.” Smits shared.
Smits would end up playing twelve seasons in total with the Indiana Pacers. He made the All-Star Game once in 1967 and was deemed the Most Improved Player 1995. He finished his career averaging 14.8 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per contest.
Other topics that he discussed on Query & Company were:
- His motorcycle collection and if he had any restrictions riding bike’s during his career
- If he enjoyed the comradery of playing with rivals in his lone All-Star game
- How he could play in today’s NBA with centers shooting further from the basket
To listen to Jake Query and Jimmy Cook’s conversation with Rik Smits, download the podcast containing the conversation below! You can always listen to the Query & Company from 12pm-3pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan. You can also watch and interact with the show by going to the 107.5 The Fan YouTube Channel.
