By Zyria Jessie

Marcus Osmond Smart is a defensive-minded guard for the Boston Celtics. He was drafted by the Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft after playing two seasons at Oklahoma State University (OSU). Although Smart is seen as a valuable piece to his organization, he is often misunderstood. Smart is known for being a hothead who racks up technical fouls, and that overshadows how strategic of a player he is. Smart shouldn’t be judged for his aggressiveness because his upbringing made him that way. Instead, viewers should acknowledge how that same aggression makes him a defensive genius. 

Marcus Smart grew up in Flower Mound, Texas, which had a huge gang presence. After he witnessed his older brother Todd, who he looked up to, pass away from cancer, he then became angry and made it his mission to make others feel the pain he felt. His other brother Michael was gang-affiliated and constantly exposed Smart to his guns, drugs, and the women he pimped out. After Michael ended up in the hospital and almost passed away from a cocaine overdose, Smart really spiraled out of control. He would start stealing from stores with his friends and get into fights at school.

One day he and his friends decided to throw rocks at a man cycling by. The boys knocked the man off his bike, and even though they found the situation to be funny at first, they quickly realized that the man was running towards them with a gun. The man began shooting at Smart and his friends, and they safely ran off into the woods. Smart recognized the man as one of Michael’s gang members. He was afraid to tell his brother out of fear that his brother would kill the man. That day Smart realized that basketball was his ticket out of that lifestyle. He then became focused on basketball and stayed out of trouble. 

Despite Marcus Smart becoming an NBA player by running away from his harsh past, he still plays with a chip on his shoulder. All the things he went through made him stronger and you can see that strength when he takes charges and goes up to block shots from 7-footers. He shouldn’t be seen as just a fighter because when he fights, he is mostly standing up for his teammates. He also shouldn’t be seen as just a flopper because it takes courage to be able to put your body on the line just for the betterment of your team. He’s a high-energy guy that’s willing to do whatever it takes for his team to get the upper hand, and he deserves some respect on his name because of that.

Marcus Smart has had some hiccups throughout his career, specifically his infamous fan-pushing incident at OSU, but the value he adds to his team is bigger than all of them. The Celtics continue to benefit from his defensive presence, especially since he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team last NBA season. He has also been improving on his shooting and passing each season. Now that the Celtics cut down on their amount of ball-dominant players, Smarts’ improvements to his game should be more prevalent. After that, he should be recognized for his passion for the game and willingness to get better. Then the misconception around Marcus Smart will be a thing of the past, much like his rough upbringing before he harnessed his love for basketball to better himself.

Zyria is a sports writer for La Tonique Media.