Wee Willie Smith

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For the American football player, see Wee Willie Smith (American football).
Willie Smith
Personal information
Born(1911-04-22)April 22, 1911
Montgomery, Alabama
DiedMarch 15, 1992(1992-03-15) (aged 80)
Cleveland, Ohio
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolEast Tech (Cleveland, Ohio)
Playing career1931–1949
PositionCenter
Career history
1931–1942New York Renaissance
1943–1944Cleveland Chase Brassmen
1948–1949Dayton Rens

William T. "Wee Willie" Smith (April 22, 1911 – March 14, 1992) was an American professional basketball player.

Career[]

Smith played for several semi-professional leagues in the Cleveland, Ohio area before being signed by the New York Renaissance, an all-black professional team, in 1932. From 1932 to 1936, Smith and his six teammates won over 400 games, including an 88-game winning streak from January 1, 1933 to March 27, 1933. The entire 1932–33 Renaissance team was collectively inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1963. Smith played for several other professional teams, including the of the National Basketball League. He was one of the few black players in the history of the NBL.[1]

After retiring from professional basketball, he worked as a custodian in the Cleveland Public Schools and operated a beverage shop. He was inducted into the Harlem Hall of Fame and the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 1977.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ Ron Thomas. They Cleared the Lane. Hoopshype. Retrieved 16 August 2007.
  2. ^ Wee Willie Smith at Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Retrieved 16 August 2007.

External links[]


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