Tolu Smith

Smith is an American forward who reached the NBA through the undrafted free-agent route after a winding five-year college career split between Western Kentucky and Mississippi State. He signed with the Detroit Pistons and has developed into a rotation big man with interior scoring ability and rebounding instincts.

Born Galen Edward Mitchell Smith III on July 26, 2000, he was raised in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and played at Bay High School. He moved with his family to Hawaii in 2017 and enrolled at Kahuku High School for his senior season, where he was named the Honolulu Star-Advertiser All-State Player of the Year in 2018.

Smith played his freshman season at Western Kentucky, averaging 3.3 points and 2.6 rebounds. He transferred to Mississippi State and sat out the 2019–20 season per NCAA rules. He battled injuries during his sophomore and junior seasons but returned to full health as a senior in 2022–23, averaging 15.7 points with a league-leading 57.2 percent field goal percentage and earning first-team All-SEC honors. He declared for the 2023 NBA draft but returned for a fifth year, averaging 15 points and eight rebounds and repeating as All-SEC first team.

After going undrafted in 2024, Smith joined the Pistons for Summer League and signed with the team on September 17, 2024. He was waived in October and joined the Motor City Cruise before signing a two-way contract on January 6, 2025. He made his NBA debut on April 13, 2025, against Milwaukee, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds. On April 7, 2026, Detroit signed him to a two-year standard contract.

Smith was born to an African-American father and Samoan mother. His nickname, Tolu, means three in Samoan, as he was the third Galen in his family.

Smith functions as a physical interior forward with soft touch around the rim, rebounding presence, and the size to defend multiple frontcourt positions. His Mississippi State tenure, particularly his two All-SEC first team seasons, demonstrated consistent production. In the NBA, his development centers on defensive versatility, free throw improvement, and establishing himself as a reserve big man.