Kenny Smith Net Worth

What is Kenny Smith's Net Worth and Salary?

Kenny Smith is an American retired professional basketball player and current television basketball analyst who has a net worth of $22 million.

After starring at the University of North Carolina under Dean Smith, he was selected sixth overall in the 1987 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. Known for his speed, shooting, and basketball IQ, Smith developed into a reliable starting point guard and later found his greatest success with the Houston Rockets.

In Houston, Smith played a key role alongside Hakeem Olajuwon during the team's back-to-back championship runs in 1994 and 1995. He was particularly effective as a floor spacer and clutch shooter, most notably hitting a crucial three-pointer in Game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals. Over his 10-year NBA career, Smith also had stints with the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, and Denver Nuggets, finishing with over 9,000 points and nearly 4,000 assists.

After retiring in 1997, Smith transitioned seamlessly into broadcasting. He joined TNT's Emmy-winning show "Inside the NBA," where his sharp analysis, humor, and chemistry with colleagues Ernie Johnson Jr., Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O'Neal helped make the program one of the most popular sports studio shows in television history. Known as "The Jet," Smith became a respected voice in basketball media, blending insider perspective with entertaining commentary and helping shape how the modern NBA is discussed on television.

Contracts, Salaries & Career Earnings

During his 10-year NBA career, Kenny Smith earned approximately $11.97 million in total salary, with the bulk of his income coming during his prime years with the Houston Rockets in the early to mid-1990s.

TV Salary

At the peak of his time working as a broadcaster for TNT, Kenny's salary was $4 milloon. In November 2025, Kenny signed a new multi-year deal with ESPN that increased his salary to around $8-10 million.

Early Life

Kenneth Cornelius Smith was born on March 8, 1965, in Queens, New York. He grew up in the Queens apartment development LeFrak City. Smith was a student at Archbishop Molloy High School. There, he was coached by Jack Curran, who is recognized as the high school coach who has won the most basketball games in the United States. Other NBA players that Curran coached include Brian Winters, Kevin Joyce, Robert Werdann, and Kenny Anderson. In 1983, Smith was named a McDonald's All-American in recognition of his basketball skills.

College Career

After high school, Smith attended the University of North Carolina. There, he played on the basketball team along with Michael Jordan, under coach Dean Smith. During his freshman year on the team, Smith averaged 9.1 points and 5 assists per game.

Professional Career

Smith started his professional basketball career with the Sacramento Kings after the team selected him as the sixth pick of the 1987 NBA draft. He had a stellar rookie year, averaging 13.8 points and 7.1 assists per game, which landed him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Team. He stayed with the Kings until after the 1989-90 season, when he was traded to the Houston Rockets. He stayed with the Rockets for the next six seasons, during which some of his achievements include averaging 17.7 points per game and helping the team achieve a 52-30 record (which was the best regular season in the history of the franchise at the time). While playing with the Rockets, Smith also won two NBA championships.

Following his departure from the Rockets after the 1995-96 season, Smith signed on with the Detroit Pistons. However, he only played nine games with the Pistons before he was waived and signed by the Orlando Magic. He was with the Magic for only six games before being released by them. He subsequently signed with the Denver Nuggets. He finished out the remainder of the 1996-97 season with the Nuggets and then retired from professional playing. When he retired, he held the franchise record for the Denver Nuggets for career three-point percentage (.425). In his professional career, Smith scored a total of 9,397 points (average of 12.8 per game) and had 4,073 assists (average of 5.5 per game).

(Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Broadcasting Career

After ending his ten-year professional basketball career in 1998, Smith pivoted towards television and began working as a studio analyst for Turner Sports. He joined Ernie Johnson Jr., Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O'Neal on the show "Inside the NBA", a program that has won the Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Studio Show. Smith also appears on NBA TV and has done commentary for the NCAA tournament on CBS/Turner. From 2005 to 2008, he provided commentary for New York Knicks games that were broadcast on the MSG Network.

Personal Life

Kenny Smith's first marriage was to Dawn Reavis, and together they have two children; his daughter, Kayla Brianna, is an R&B artist, and his son, K.J., followed in his footsteps to play basketball at his alma mater, the University of North Carolina.

From 2006 to 2018, Smith was married to former "The Price Is Right" model Gwendolyn Osborne. They first met in 2004 at a charity event. Together, they have two children, a son, Malloy (born 2008), and a daughter, London (born 2012). Smith was also the stepfather to Osborne's daughter, Monique, from a previous relationship.

Following their divorce, financial disputes became public. In 2019, court filings revealed that Osborne sought to garnish Smith's wages from Turner Sports in order to collect unpaid support. The filings indicated monthly obligations of approximately $16,562 in child support and $28,898 in spousal support, with payments directed through the California State Disbursement Unit.

Real Estate

In 2011, Kenna and Gwendolyn paid $1.85 million for a home in Encino, California. They attempted to sell this home for $3.6 million in 2018. They ultimately pulled it from the market, and Gwendolyn appears to have received this home in their divorce.

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