A cool moment between father and son occurred on "Inside the NBA" Friday night when Kenny "The Jet" Smith invited his son Malloy on to announce his college basketball commitment.
The three-star point guard out of Mater Dei High School in California joined Kenny and the crew to reveal his decision live on the show as his dad beamed with pride.
Of course, where Smith decided to attend school didn't come as much of a surprise. But it was still a fun opportunity to share in his son's dream of hooping at the next level for one of the best programs in the nation.
Kenny Smith's son joins 'Inside' to announce NCAA commitment
Joined on video by family and friends, Malloy shared that he'll be taking his talents to Chapel Hill in North Carolina — just like his father did.
“I think the best thing for me to do is join the Carolina family,” he announced.
“Your dad and I have been working together for a long, long time. Even before you were born,” Ernie Johnson jumped in. “And so to have this day happen, do you know how proud that you’ve made this guy sitting to my left?”
“He’s helped me a lot,” Malloy said. “I can’t thank him enough of how much he’s done for me. Just training day in and day out, and always being there for me. I mean, yesterday, he was at my game.”
Malloy Smith explains why he chose UNC
The 6-foot-6 senior gave some additional reasoning for why he chose the Heels over the other teams in the mix like Cal.
“I chose North Carolina because of how it felt like home, the coaches trust and belief in me and their future plans for me align with mine and how I feel they can get the best out of me,” Smith said, (via Joe Tipton of Rivals.com).
“Just the traditions and the history of North Carolina. How special the fan base is and it just speaks to the fact that every single coach has played at North Carolina and most of the staff as well,” he added. “I’m very honored to be able to be apart of this family and every time I put on the Tar Heel jersey, I will not take it for granted.”
Malloy should be a lengthy and versatile addition for Hubert Davis and Co. who are trying to get back to the Final Four for the first time in five seasons. And who knows, maybe he'll become a consensus first-team All-American just like his dad was in 1987.
