Meaning beyond the number 33 #OSU #MarcusSmart
Photo Courtesy ESPN.com
STILLWATER, Okla. – Watching Marcus Smart play basketball, one might assume the 33 on his jersey is just a lucky or favorite number of his.
However, it is more than just a number to Marcus. It represents an individual who impacted his outlook on life.
Big 12 coaches selected Marcus Smart as the conference’s preseason Player of the Year.
“I was nothing like the person I am today,” Marcus says of his past. “I was the complete opposite.”
Growing up in Lancaster, Texas, Marcus never cared about anything. He had no goals or expectations. He just dealt with whatever was put in front of him.
That all changed when Marcus was 9 years old, and found out Todd, his oldest brother, had lost his 18-year battle with cancer at the age of 33.
“Finding out Todd passed away was a roller coaster of emotions,” Marcus says. “I didn’t really know what to feel or what to think about anything.”
After Todd’s death, Marcus decided to quit football and focus solely on basketball.
Marcus moved to Flower Mound, Texas, his freshman year of high school. There, he played varsity basketball alongside teammate and best friend, Phillip Forte.
The two led the team to two consecutive Class 5A titles and went on to play together at Oklahoma State.
Throughout his life, Marcus has achieved a number of awards from being named a McDonald’s All-American to the Big 12 Player of the Year and Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
Next season, Marcus could be playing in the NBA, and says this has been something he has always dreamed about.
“It’s crazy I could be playing with them next year because it’s an opportunity most people never have,” Marcus says.
Sometimes, he has to sit back and realize this isn’t a dream.
Looking back, Marcus never could have imagined himself to be where he is today — a top prospect for the 2014 NBA draft.
When he was younger, he was getting into trouble with friends. They would stuff their pockets with rocks and throw them at people or cars.
One night, the same trouble almost cost 12-year-old Marcus his life.
“We saw this one guy on his bike, and we threw rocks at him and knocked him off of his bike,” Marcus says. “The next thing we knew, he pulled out a gun and started shooting at us.”
Marcus ran for his life that night, and that moment forever changed who he was as a person.
“I never want to take anything for granted because it can be taken away from you as fast as it was given to you,” Marcus says.
And he learned that from his oldest brother Todd.
Growing up, he and his brothers wore number three in high school because that was the number Todd wore when he played basketball at Lancaster High.
However, when Marcus came to Oklahoma State, he was unable to wear it because it was retired for Dan Lawson, who died in the Oklahoma State plane crash of 2001.
Marcus decided on 33 because that was how old Todd was when he died.
Marcus barely got to see Todd play basketball growing up, but his mother and brothers tell him they see a bit of Todd in Marcus when he is on the court.
Even though Marcus can no longer wear Todd’s number, every time he puts on his jersey he is reminded of him and inspired to do his best both on and off the court.
“I play every day like it’s my last because unfortunately Todd wasn’t able to play as long as he would’ve liked to,” Marcus says. “His game was cut short.”
Photo Courtesy Yahoo Sports
