When Kenny Smith revealed how Dean Smith sent a UNC coach to Africa to understand Makhtar N'Diaye's culture
Dean Smith was one of the greatest coaches to have graced the college circuit. He spent his entire head coaching career with North Carolina from 1961 to 1997. While the late Smith was known for his discipline and high demands from his players, he also went the extra mile to help them develop into top players.
In June 2022, former NBA star Kenny Smith, who played under Dean at UNC, recalled how the legendary coach sent one of his assistants to Africa to better understand one of his players' way of learning. Kenny Smith said on the "All The Smoke" podcast (34:22):
"It was like playing for Gandhi. My favorite story is not even with me, it's with Makhtar N'Diaye, who played at North Carolina, he was from Africa. He played at Michigan, transferred in, and went to Oak Hill.
"So, Mak was having a tough time in practice, so Roy Williams was the assistant coach at the time, and Bill Guthridge. So, they're getting on Mak. Coach Smith's never cussed, ever. So, they're getting on him, and they throw him out of practice."
Smith continued:
"Coach Smith, after the practice, goes to him, says, 'Mak, is everything alright? Homesick?' He's like, 'No, coach,' and he's not looking at him. He's like, 'Mak, look at me when I'm talking to you.' He's like, 'No, coach.' Then Smith says, 'Mak, look at me as I talk to you.' He said, 'Coach, in my culture, to look an adult in the eye is a sign of disrespect.' Coach said, 'Oh, ok,' and walked out.
"Next day in practice, there's no coach Guthridge, who threw him (N'Diaye) out of practice. Coach Guthridge is not there for a week. So, Mak said he gets a call from his mom, and she's like,' Mak, there's this man here in Africa who says he's your assistant coach. He's been here for a week saying he's learning our culture.' He (Dean) sent coach Guthridge to learn his culture so he could never make that mistake again. That is what coach Smith was."
Dean Smith led UNC to 17 ACC regular-season titles and 13 conference tournament titles. He also won two NCAA championships with the Tar Heels. Smith was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Smith died on Feb.7, 2015, aged 83.
Kenny Smith won two NBA titles after playing under Dean Smith at UNC
Kenny Smith played under Dean Smith at UNC for four years. He was named to the second-team All-ACC in 1985 and 1986 and was a consensus first-team All-American in 1987.
The Sacramento Kings took Kenny with the No. 6 pick in the 1987 NBA draft. He also had stints with the Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic and Denver Nuggets.
Kenny won back-to-back NBA titles with the Houston Rockets, in 1994 and 1995. He retired from the league in 1997 and has since transitioned into an analyst and sports commentator.