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'This is an incredibly sad day': Cleveland Cavaliers mourn loss of franchise legend Bingo Smith

Smith played 11 seasons in the NBA, including parts of 10 with Cleveland. During that time, he set career marks that still stand among the best in franchise history.

CLEVELAND — Bobby "Bingo" Smith, one of the Cavaliers' all-time greats who played an essential role in the team's origins as an NBA franchise, has died.

The team announced Smith's death Thursday evening. While no cause was given, the 77-year-old had been in poor health for years.

Campy Russell, Cavs director of alumni relations and Smith's former teammate, released the following statement:

"This is an incredibly sad day for our Cavaliers family and we are deeply hurt relating to Bingo's passing. Bingo was one of the most gifted players to ever grace the Wine and Gold, and his impact on the court and throughout the community made a lasting impression on everyone that ever came into contact with him. He spent the majority of his life doing what he loved and his loyalty to the Cavaliers never wavered. As a Cavaliers ambassador, Bingo consistently devoted his time embracing fans and sharing a piece of his basketball journey long after his playing days were over. The thoughts and prayers of this organization and Cavaliers fans across Northeast Ohio are with the entire Smith family."

Smith played 11 seasons in the NBA, including parts of 10 with Cleveland. During that time, he set career marks that still stand among the best in franchise history, while also forever winning the hearts of fans as part of the "Miracle of Richfield" run.

Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Smith was a star at the University of Tulsa, where he earned his nickname from radio announcer Len Morton due to his propensity for hitting big shots. That shooting helped him average 24.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game as a senior, leading to him being drafted by the San Diego Rockets sixth overall in the 1969 NBA draft.

But after just one pedestrian season in Southern California, the Rockets left Smith unprotected in the 1970 expansion draft, and he was selected by the new Cleveland Cavaliers. The team got off to a horrid start, losing its first 15 games before finishing the year with a 15-67 record, still tied for the worst in franchise history.

However, one of the few bright spots that season was Bingo, who averaged 15.2 points and 5.6 rebounds on 44.8% shooting. Throughout the rest of his time in Cleveland, his field goal percentage would dip below 44% just once.

Credit: Rusty Kennedy/AP
76ers' Harvey Catching (42) does his best to slow down Bobby 'Bingo' Smith (7) of the Cavaliers in 1976

As the Cavs went through growing pains, they continued to add young talent to the roster, and Smith continued to show impeccable consistency. His best individual season may have come in 1974-75, when he set career-highs with 15.9 points per game on 48.3% shooting.

That year, Cleveland finished just a hair under .500 at 40-42, but the best was yet to come.

Led by a roster that included Smith, Russell, Jim Chones, and Austin Carr, the Cavaliers shocked the basketball world in 1976 by winning the Eastern Conference's Central Division, setting up a playoff battle with Elvin Hayes and the defending East champion Washington Bullets. The series turned into an instant classic, and Smith more than did his part by draining a 25-foot jumper in Game 2 to give Cleveland an 80-79 victory at the buzzer.

In what lives on as the "Miracle of Richfield," the series went the distance before Dick Snyder's layup gave Game 7 to the Cavs. The team was favored heading into the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, but a foot injury to Chones sapped their chances, and they fell in six despite another solid effort from Smith.

"We lost a great man," Chones, who now serves as the Cavaliers' radio analyst, said Thursday. "Praying for the Smith family and all their loved ones today, as we truly lost a brother, a teammate, a father and all-around great human being. His impact on the Cavaliers and so many of us that played with him will never be forgotten. My hearts goes out to all those he touched throughout his life. Rest in power Bingo."

Smith would play four more seasons in Cleveland, making two more playoff appearances before being traded in 1979 back to where his career began. Despite still being active with the San Diego Clippers (the Rockets had moved to Houston by this time), the Cavs chose to retire his No. 7 only a month later, and he wound up retiring at the end of the 1979-80 season.

During his career, Smith averaged 12.6 points and 44.9% shooting across 865 total games, including 13.2 points and 45.2% with Cleveland. His Cavs marks for games played (720), field goals made (4,182), minutes played (22,407), and total points scored (9,513) remain among the top 10 in franchise history.

Smith's No. 7 was the second retired by the Cavaliers, and in 2019 he was also enshrined in the team's Wall of Honor. Three years prior to that, he was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.

"Bingo and I were teammates for almost a decade, and we experienced the full spectrum of emotions and successes here in Cleveland, while representing our beloved Cavaliers," Carr, whose No. 34 is also retired by the organization, said. "From the early expansion years of the team, to our first-ever playoff experience and the Miracle season, Bingo was always a giving teammate and one of the most fierce competitors I ever played with. This is truly a sad moment in our franchise history and my heart goes out to his family."

Funeral arrangements for Smith have not been announced. The Cavs will likely honor the franchise icon Friday night during their 2023-24 home opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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