Real Madrid have completed the signing of American guard Nick Smith Jr, the club announced on Tuesday. The 22-year-old joins on a deal running through the end of the 2026-27 season, closing out the Spanish club's summer recruitment ahead of the EuroLeague SuperCup.
Smith was selected 27th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2023 NBA Draft after a standout college career at Arkansas, where he was regarded as one of the top recruits in the country. Over three NBA seasons he accumulated 147 appearances split between the Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers, earning a reputation as an explosive scoring guard with deep shooting range and the ability to create off the dribble.
"Real Madrid C.F. and Nick Smith Jr. have reached an agreement under which he will be a Real Madrid player until the end of the 2026-2027 season," the club said in its official statement. The guard will play under head coach Pedro Martinez.
Smith's arrival fills a backcourt vacancy that Madrid had been looking to address since the summer window opened. His combination of athleticism, perimeter shooting and ball-handling gives Martinez another option in a roster built to compete on both the EuroLeague and Liga ACB fronts. The American is expected to integrate quickly, with the SuperCup offering an early test before the regular season.
The signing caps a busy transfer window for Real Madrid, who have reshaped their squad following a disappointing previous campaign. Smith is the latest in a series of moves designed to restore the club to the upper echelons of European basketball, where Madrid remain one of the most decorated franchises in the sport's history.
For Smith, the move represents a fresh start after an NBA career that yielded flashes of promise but never a consistent role. At 22, he arrives in Madrid with the tools to thrive in European competition, where the pace and tactical demands differ significantly from the North American game. The guard has spoken about his excitement to play in a new environment and to compete at the highest level of European basketball.
Real Madrid will open their EuroLeague SuperCup campaign against Dubai Basketball, giving Smith an early opportunity to settle into his new surroundings before the regular season begins in earnest.
Sources
- https://www.eurohoops.net/en/euroleague/2008547/real-madrid-officially-sign-nick-smith-jr/
- https://www.realmadrid.com/en-US/news/club/announcements/comunicado-oficial-smith-16-09-2026
