WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue senior point guard Braden Smith was voted a first-team All-American by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
The two first-team All-American honors announced Wednesday make Smith a consensus first-team All-American for the second straight season. He is joined on the team by BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa, Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr., Duke’s Cameron Boozer and Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg.
Smith officially becomes the fourth two-time, first-team All-American in Purdue history, joining Terry Dischinger, Rick Mount and Zach Edey on the list.
Purdue has now had a consensus first-team All-American in four straight years, the first program since LSU from 1989 to 1992 to have first-team selections in four straight years. The other programs to accomplish it are Georgetown (1982-85), UCLA (1971-75) and Ohio State (1960-64).
With Smith’s honor, Purdue has had a player receive at least one first-team All-American accolade in each of the last five years, and a Purdue player has been named a first- or second-team All-American in eight of the last 10 years (2017 – Caleb Swanigan, 1st team; 2018 – Carsen Edwards – 2nd team; 2019 – Carsen Edwards – 2nd team; 2022 – Jaden Ivey – 1st team; 2023 – Zach Edey, 1st team; 2024 – Zach Edey, 1st team; 2025 – Braden Smith – 1st team; 2026- Braden Smith, 1st team).
Smith, a first-team All-Big Ten selection, the Big Ten Tournament MVP and last year’s Cousy Award winner as the nation’s top point guard, is having another outstanding season. He is averaging 14.0 points, 9.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game, leading the country and setting the Big Ten single-season record with 317 assists. He is the first high-major player to average at least 14.0 points, 9.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game since LSU’s Randy Livingston in 1995.
He is one of two players in NCAA history to have at least 300 assists in two different seasons (Southern’s Avery Johnson; 1987 and 1988) and is the only player in NCAA history to have three seasons of at least 450 points, 250 assists and 125 rebounds.
Smith is just two assists away from becoming the NCAA’s all-time leader in career assists. Entering the NCAA Tournament with 1,075 career assists, Smith is about to surpass Duke legend Bobby Hurley, who holds the record with 1,076.
Smith is the only player in NCAA history to have at least 1,500 points, 1,000 assists and 500 career rebounds, currently with 1,865 points, 1,075 assists and 661 rebounds.
The Boilermakers will battle Queens University in the NCAA Tournament first-round game on Friday in St. Louis, Missouri, tipping at 7:35 p.m. ET / 6:35 p.m. CT.