Michigan State basketball: All-time starting 5 – From Magic to Mateen

4. G Steve Smith (1987-1991)

The next member of the all-time Michigan State basketball starting five wasn’t a national champion but he did know how to put the ball in the basket very well. Guard Steve Smith was one of the most prolific scorers in Michigan State basketball history, leaving school after his senior year as the Spartans’ all-time leading scorer.

The Spartans reached the Sweet 16 in Smith’s junior year and saw him deliver one of the most clutch shots in program history in 1991. Michigan State needed Smith to drill a last-second three-pointer to top Wisconsin-Green Bay in the first round of the 1991 NCAA Tournament.

Through the course of his college career, Smith averaged 18.5 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game. Smith also earned All-American honors in both 1990 and 1991, which set the stage for his long pro career.

The expansion Miami Heat took Smith with the fifth overall pick in 1991, where he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Smith eventually wound up winning an NBA Championship with the San Antonio Spurs before retiring as a member of the Heat in 2005.

The Spartans inducted Smith into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001 and his number has also been retired by Michigan State. There is no question that Smith’s sweet-shooting and outstanding achievements merited a spot in the starting five.