WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue junior guard Braden Smith has been named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press (AP), the organization announced today.
Smith was joined on the first team by Auburn's Johni Broome, Duke's Cooper Flagg, Florida's Walter Clayton Jr., and Alabama's Mark Sears.
It is the second first-team All-America selection for the Westfield, Indiana, native, as The Sporting News named him a first-team honoree last week. The United States Basketball Writers Associations (USBWA) and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) will be announced on Wednesday.
With Smith's first-team accolade, a Boilermaker has been named a first-team All-American by at least one of the four entities in each of the last four years. In 2022, Jaden Ivey was a first-team selection by the NABC, while Zach Edey earned consensus first-team accolades in both 2023 and 2024. Smith's first-team honors by The Sporting News and Associated Press give Purdue four straight years of first-team All-Americans. No other team has more than two first-team All-American honors in that span.
Smith and the Boilermakers will face High Point in Thursday's NCAA Tournament first round at 12:40 p.m. ET, in Providence, Rhode Island.
Associated Press First-Team All-American – Braden Smith, Junior, Guard
Smith was joined on the first team by Auburn's Johni Broome, Duke's Cooper Flagg, Florida's Walter Clayton Jr., and Alabama's Mark Sears.
It is the second first-team All-America selection for the Westfield, Indiana, native, as The Sporting News named him a first-team honoree last week. The United States Basketball Writers Associations (USBWA) and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) will be announced on Wednesday.
With Smith's first-team accolade, a Boilermaker has been named a first-team All-American by at least one of the four entities in each of the last four years. In 2022, Jaden Ivey was a first-team selection by the NABC, while Zach Edey earned consensus first-team accolades in both 2023 and 2024. Smith's first-team honors by The Sporting News and Associated Press give Purdue four straight years of first-team All-Americans. No other team has more than two first-team All-American honors in that span.
Smith and the Boilermakers will face High Point in Thursday's NCAA Tournament first round at 12:40 p.m. ET, in Providence, Rhode Island.
Associated Press First-Team All-American – Braden Smith, Junior, Guard
- Named the Big Ten Player of the Year and first-team All-American by the Sporting News.
- Averages 16.1 points, 8.7 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game, but saw his averages increase to 17.4 points, 8.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds during Big Ten play.
- Set the Big Ten record for assists in conference play only with 175, smashing the previous record set by Michigan State's Cassius Winston (157) by 18 assists – almost a full assist per game.
- Became the second player in Big Ten history, joining Michigan State's Magic Johnson, to register 450 points, 250 assists, 125 rebounds and 60 steals in a season. Smith has reached those numbers in each of the last two seasons.
- Became the school's career assists leader, now with 732 assists in just 107 career games.
- Needs one steal to become the second player in NCAA history to have 500 points, 275 assists, 150 rebounds and 75 steals in a season, joining Georgia Tech standout Kenny Anderson (1989-90) as members of that group.
- Is on pace to be the first player since California's Jason Kidd (1993-94) to average at least 16.0 points, 8.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.
- Smith's 732 assists (and counting) are the sixth most for a player in NCAA history by the end of his junior season. He already ranks fifth in Big Ten conference history in career assists.
- Recorded four 20-point, 10-assist games this season. Prior to this year, Purdue had two 20-point, 10-assist games in school history – the last one coming in the 1987-88 season.
- His nine point-assist double-doubles are the third most for a high-major player in the last 20 seasons (14 – Oklahoma's Trae Young, 2018; 10 – Kansas State's Markquis Nowell, 2023).
- Smith has posted two games of 30 or more points this season (34 vs. Toledo; 31 vs. Iowa).
- Has 12 games of 10 or more assists this season, and 22 games of 10 or more assists for his career. His 22 career games of 10 or more assists are the most in Big Ten history. The 22, 10-assist games are the fourth most by a player in his junior season or younger in the last 20 years (Kay Felder – 32; Kendall Marshall – 23; Ja Morant – 23).