Rik Smits - The Dunkin Dutchman

[TheSnoopyFreak99]

I have seen him to play several times during his Indiana Pacers career and his teammates were played against Wizzard in Washington, DC. He was wonderful center player ever I seen. I remembererd he was out of his one year season due to his foot surgery. I really enjoyed to watch him during my college years in Washington DC and I was so proud of him.. I wonder where he lives now?

[queballpuppy]

@TheSnoopyFreak99 Rik still lives in Indianapolis. I work at a store here in town and he comes shopping for groceries often. Believe me, he is TALL!!!

[welcometotacobell]

i met him last week it was epic. he signed my basketball

[Belize2787]

He was a great Center! He & Reggie were the Key to the Indiana Offense!

[warfighter1988]

We dutch can ball

[Tommmaaah]

Man I remember when I was 17 and I was playing with Almonte(Eindhoven) before and after every game and practice there was this tall, quiet guy shooting hoops but he was by no means talented. We all used to laugh at how awkward his movements looked. When he went to college in the states we all thought he'd be a joke. He spent thousands of hours working on his jumpshot and post moves and look what he has become, the best dutch player of all time..

[troyiscute123]

whats the song

[youBigLoser]

As a hockey fan, I remember Rik Smits being a great player on ice logging 2.4 minutes per game and being able to average 1.2 saves per game. Depite the several life threatening injuries, he survived to finish his career as a HOF. Later in his career, John Travolta came to congratulate him on his MVP and it's a shame how Spike Lee had to present a ceremony. Whatever the weed you guys smoke, stay off the bad stuff. Hear me kids?

[vladimir4200]

heres how to watch this and stay sane- hit mute.

[shagreezz3]

2:04 would either be a technical foul or a flaygrant one

[RAPEPILLOW]

and yet its so sad that basketball is so small in holland...always proud to see a felow dutchman in the nba good ol times

[kromezer28]

some sick dunks here...

[bergkampization]

does rik even know he is from holland?

[DREAMHippo9]

The reason Smits wasn't a bigger threat vs the Knicks was because the NBA refs would always slap him with fouls to keep him out of most of the game, especially at MSG. When he was on the floor, the Knicks couldn't stop his offense.

[DaBears773]

RIP Rik Smits

[viscontecobramh]

@DaBears773

??????

[Urban058]

@DaBears773 Dont know allot about this fellow Dutchmen, but i couldn't find anything about his death??? can you explain yourself maybe?

[bmanballer123]

@Urban058 lol idk if you found out but hes not dead. he lives next door to me and he races dirt bikes every weekend. and he kicks ass at it.

[peljeweetwel]

What song is this?

It's not Headstrong by Trapt as Youtube states...

Shazaam can't recognize it and Googling the lyrics doesn't get me anywhere :(

[tcommmi]

@peljeweetwel song: Classic Case - Losing At Life

[eli6844]

wasnt he like 7'4? and i remember seeing film of him raining threes, guess not.

[dunkmaster12]

@eli6844 yes he was 7'4 or 224 cm. just 1,5 inch short of yao

[tinyassbitch]

DIS NIGGA IS GAY!!!!!!!!!! I CAUGHT HIM CIRCLEJERKING IN THE LOCKERROOM AFTER HE LOST AGAINST THE CELTICS!!! FUCKIN PUSSY!!!!!!! I HEARD HE KILLED GARY COLEMAN!! FUCK!!!

[TaylorOnTheMic]

is it really dunking if you only have to jump half a foot

[duckman32001]

pretty good player in the regular season. An absolute monster in the post season.

[wiggs1982]

13,000 points, 6000 rebs, 1,100 blocks in a 12 year career.

[wiggs1982]

He would be an all-star almost every year in todays game. He was forced to compete for allstar spots with Ewing and Shaq. How good could he have been if he didn't have chronic foot problems?

[chuckdisi]

he should have his numbers retired for indiana pacers because him and reggie miller were a duo like jordan and pippen, stockton and malone, kobe and shaq. rik smits feet shortened his career.

[lulem400]

i havent watched the pacers post miller and smits - the team went all ghetto and just completely suck now - hopefully Hansbrough can do something!!!

[websterboi864]

@chuckdisi wat was wrong wiid his feet???

[thunderstruck665]

@websterboi864: He had Bill Walton feet.

[MarylandManson29]

Brings meaning to the tern "underrated"

[royalsteven]

I remember I was proud when he got drafted because I think he was the first Dutch to be drafted.

[1lemurian]

This dude gave Patrick Ewing Serious problems. It was my first impression that to do that you had to be one of the best...I'm a Knicks fan, too!

[klined]

@1lemurian

i was a big knicks fan, rik smits was a beast

[tdubb3]

Rik had one of the prettiest hooks post Kareem. Too bad about his feet.

[wiggs1982]

Ik houd van Rik Smits. Hij was fantastic.

Got is autograph at a white castle. gave him a USMC sticker to slap on his dodge superbee. he's a big mopar fan.

[iachetta25]

One of the most dominant forces ever to lace up in the NBA. Anyone who disagrees just doesn't know the game of basketball.

[Tenderness6]

At this moment we have another guy in Holland who is 2.24 meter (Robert Zwaan'

[supersmash43]

Mark Eaton was much more defensively dominating.

[pablow13]

nice video, thanx, enjoyed it very much. i think the best dutch baller in history. except rik is missin' that ring that elson has.

[blacknapalm]

so please don't talk down on smits. he was a major part as to why indiana made it to the finals.

[Marcell2aG]

I said "nothin nice" as in "awesome", or "not to be messed with".

[blacknapalm]

ahh my bad...he was a bad mofo in his prime, could score a lot of ways

[Marcell2aG]

It's all good.

[jerjerjason]

Although I'm new to the name, he seems like a way above average center

[wwefroogy]

Yeah he was an All-Star center

[Marcell2aG]

Smits was nothin nice.

Didn't even HAVE to dunk.

[blacknapalm]

he had a mid-range jump shot, ran the court well, rebounded well, was a decent defender. he'd easily be a top 10 center today. not saying a lot since that position is in a weak stage.

[VeoShock]

Well said, Rik would be a mega star in todays gm. He could shoot, run the floor, solid defender n passer to. rebounded solid n was stronger than many thought as holding his own against the ewings, mourning etc. he was an all star for a reason. loved his gm.

[DuckwalkSupreme]

Agreed on the center position being kinda weak today. It hasn't been good since the mid 90s. When Shaq was in his prime, nobody else really was, same with Yao, now it looks like he may be done. Dwight Howard might be the best center now which sucks because he's not that great, his game is almost entirely built on athletecism. If Yao could stay healthy he'd be a lot better, but he doesn't have anyone that can even slow him down, other than his own body.

[OfficialMartyMondays]

@blacknapalm he would be a top 5 center today at least

[klined]

Smits was nice. He was one of the best east coast centers in the 90s EASILY.

[MrKilluquickly]

hater down there that's ridiculous. he's not the best ever, but he was a solid, loyal, hardworking player, btter than most of today's players' work ethics.

[albertocmacarini]

Saw him play live quite a few times. He was really great.

[StylisticLlama]

Smits was ridiculously underrated.

[vphan38]

Well smits is better than u becuase are u in the nba LOL

[Grod247]

i respect the fact that he was an awesome player and I also like the fact that he was loyal to the same team. Kind of like a Jordan or Magic Johnson. My props!!!

[bigk525]

this dude is so FUCKING WEAK!!!!!!!!!!!

[proof317]

He was a good player..noboby said he was the greatiest ever. just a high quiality player who stayed with the same team. sooo u fuck off hater

[bigk525]

im not hatin im tellin the truth this dude is weak as hell and he definately wouldnt be even a starting center nowadays cuz hes weak and slow

[omnivorous65]

that is bollocks. He was 7.4 could run the floor and and shoot the ball. Of course he would be a starting center today

[liweiwu007]

he was decent

[Staalstraal]

Dammit I'm from Holland too ,wishing Smits was still playing or a new star would rise from or country, because since Smits left the NBA Dutch media coverage of the NBA has dropped to all time lows. :(

[Grapes428]

He had that one All-Star season in 98. Indiana had the best record at the all-star break that year.

[wiggs1982]

He would have been a hall of famer if he didn't have to play his entire career with very bad foot problems. most people compare yao ming to him, but smits was more consistent and had more moves. And he played well when it mattered.

[wogboy43]

but nobody has a game like yaos

[proof317]

he does use his height very well

[hahawhat98]

I saw Rik once at a car show

[aaartnaz]

what's the song?

[thunderstruck665]

It's crazy to me how Rik Smits wasn't bigger than he was. As a lifelong Knick fan, I remember the old Knicks/Pacers wars of the 90's quite well and as pesky and obnoxious as Reggie Miller was and as good as he was at hitting the shot he needed to hit, I always though it was Smits that gave us the biggest headaches. The man NEVER missed and was practically impossible to guard. You just never knew how he was going to come at you. It's a shame how he slipped under the radar.

[LqrDrnkr757]

he's 7'4, what do you mean he wasn't big?

[thunderstruck665]

@LqrDrnkr757: You must've been asleep the day they taught metaphors in school....

[Trinidadian125]

@thunderstruck665 Thunderstruck, you are so right. Ewing couldn't stop Smits in the low post - the latter was an offensive juggernaut with an arsenal of side steps, duck unders, and fadeaway Js that gave Ewing real problems. Smits only real liability was that he couldn't move his feet on the defensive end so once you got around him it was either a foul or lay up.

[Brdl]

I'm from Eindhoven too!

Friend of mine played ball with Rik Smits

[yipdog]

i see him all the time, i live in z-ville

[goochkingj]

Ask away, Rik's my uncle. Swear on my life... Anything you want to know just ask.

[Nieksainttropez]

ok give me your name of your famely in holland place they live

[Gocavs1990]

even if he is family of yours nobody gives a shit

[htownnigggga]

wow, u were an asshole for that comment 2 months ago

[ChrisvanHattem]

Thanks for this great vid and your nice comments at Rik.

I can dream that super Indy team. ActionJackson, Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin.

Admit it: Rik had a sweet little shot for a center! :D

[farneyblakeley]

Nineties pacers were a great team to follow but it was tough living and dying on Reggie threes and Smits fouls. Just think about that game 7 in 94 against the Knicks. What if they didn't call an intentional foul on Miller at the end? Has there ever been a more awful call to end a great great series in sports? If they had made the finals that first time how many more finals trips would there have been? Oh well

[hahawhat98]

what I remember most is the Pacers vs Chicago bulls with Mullin, Reggie against Michael Jordan's Bulls...not sure what year it was but Reggie hit a huge 3 pointer at the end of one of the 7-Game series to win it...I remember shouting at the top of my lungs in joy...and I'm not really even a basketball fan

[liweiwu007]

it was 1998

[c9mavrick]

HE gave patrick ewing work on the court.

[l2duis]

GO PACERS!!!

[FreshPrinceJazzSoul]

great mix, pacers had a great team this times: mark jackson, killer miller, chris mullin, dale and antonio davis, workman, and the dunkin dutchman a classic

[VeoShock]

Yea, I liked that team to my friend. They were worthy of playing for the NBA Finals in 2000.  Awesome team and very dangerous. Smits was a good center to.