Most will remember Zhaire Smith’s time with the Philadelphia 76ers as disappointing considering the Sixers selected Mikal Bridges at No. 10 in 2018 just to trade him to the Phoenix Suns for the pick to select Smith at 16.
Bridges has gone on to have a very good career while Smith’s time in Philadelphia was hampered by a serious food allergy as a rookie. Smith played only 13 games and averaged 3.7 points for the Sixers in two seasons.
Now with the Cleveland Cavaliers on an Exhibit 10 deal, Smith recalled his rookie season with the Sixers as he sat down with HoopsHype:
It was Thai chicken. I ate that and the first symptoms started where my lips started swelling, so I drove home to try to heal. I started to brush my teeth and I was OK for about 10 minutes, then I started catching hives.
Then once that happened, I called somebody to come to try to give me Benadryl. Once I took Benadryl my toes started swelling and I called 911. Everything on my body felt like I was on fire. So 911 came, and I was just in the back of the van and was in the hospital for about a month and a half. Lost about 60 pounds, and my body was deteriorating so I really had to start from scratch on a feeding tube and wires all throughout my body. It was a tough situation to go through, but it made me stronger.
Who knows what Smith could have been in Philadelphia if he hadn’t suffered the food allergy reaction? While he didn’t have the same projections as Bridges, he had great potential as a 3-and-D player. It’s unfortunate he had this happen to him, but he has a second chance in the league with the Cavaliers.
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