01 Jul
Zhaire Smith Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: G-F
Born: 06/04/99
Height: 6-5 / 1.96
Weight:195 lbs. / 88.5 kg.
Salary: $3,062,760
Born: 06/04/99
Height: 6-5 / 1.96
Weight:195 lbs. / 88.5 kg.
Salary: $3,062,760
Kyle Neubeck: Mike Scott and Zhaire Smith are the inactives tonight.
Kyle Neubeck: Zhaire Smith and Amir Johnson are the inactives for tonight.
And then in August 2018, Zhaire’s fortune changed. First, he broke his foot. A month later, still recuperating, Zhaire ate some chicken at the Sixers’ team practice facility that made his lips tingle. That’s usually a sign of a minor allergic reaction, as opposed to anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that requires immediate medical attention. Since anaphylaxis typically occurs within a matter of minutes and has obvious symptoms—a severe rash, or causing a person’s airways to narrow, leading to difficulty breathing—Zhaire figured he was in the clear. He drove home, thoroughly brushed his teeth, took some Benadryl, and hopped in the shower. That’s when everything went to hell.
Bedridden, in constant pain, and unable to eat or drink, Zhaire could only sleep for 30 minutes at a time, and only with the help of morphine. He spent his nights watching 76ers game films and doing some informal scouting for coach Brett Brown, who would check in with him on FaceTime. Then-teammate Markelle Fultz often texted, but Zhaire rarely had the energy to respond. He was too weak to do physical activities, save for thumb wars with Aundre, who slept by his side at the hospital each night. Zhaire’s days were spent meditating with his mom, Andrea. The only other way to help Zhaire relax was the repetitive motion of twisting his hair. “They were calming me down, but I was throwing temper tantrums,” Zhaire says. “Everyday, I was like, ‘Am I getting out? Can I drink? Can I eat? I was so thirsty.”’
