Birthdate: June 4, 1974
Birthplace: Lancaster, Ohio
High School: Logan High School
College: The Ohio State University
Year Inducted: Charter Class of 2006
Katie Smith began playing basketball at an early age and has amassed a collection of awards and accolades showcasing her work ethic, perseverance and dedication to the game. Originally from Logan, Ohio, Katie attended Ohio State University and was an integral part of the women’s basketball team with NCAA Tournament appearances in 1993 and 1996. The Buckeyes showed their appreciation by making her the first female athlete in school history to have her jersey retired. Some of her other notable collegiate honors include being named Sports Illustrated Freshman of the Year, as well as being named to the NCAA Final Four and East Regional All-Tournament Team.
Besides playing professionally in the ABL & WNBA, Smith won several gold and silver medals representing her country with the USA National Women’s Team. She has competed with USA Basketball since 1993 and continues to be a major part of the team’s dominance in recent years. The women’s program went undefeated during spring training games before winning Olympic Gold in Greece.
Drafted by the Columbus Quest after graduation, Smith helped the franchise win back-to-back ABL championships before joining the WNBA Minnesota Lynx in 1999.
Since being selected in the pre-draft allotment, she has led the league in scoring, been named a WNBA All-Star five consecutive times and set seven single-season records for points, three-point field goals and minutes played and averaged.
Smith is the all-time leading scorer in U.S. women’s professional basketball history and became the first women to score 5,000 points in women’s basketball in July, 2005. Katie Smith scored 7,872 career points, more than any other professional women’s basketball player and is she’s second in WNBA history with 6,439 points.
She has quietly become a superstar on and off the court, sponsoring camps in her hometown and being involved in other community activities. Katie Smith retired from professional basketball at the end of the 2013 season after a 17-year professional career.
She was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2018. Watch her enshrinement speech here.
