In a story featured on SLAMOnline.com, writer Matt Caputo reveals the story of Ed “Booger” Smith a street baller whose career consisted of many up’s and down’s.
Smith is probably most well known as the subject of the 1997 sports documentary Soul In The Hole, a film that was directed by Danielle Gardner.
Soul In The Hole was originally meant to document the lives of three New York City ball players, but Gardner was so impressed by Smith that she decided to switch the focus of the film to Smith and his team Kenny’s Kings.
“The movie was cool though,” Ed “Booger” Smith explained to SLAM. “They didn’t know that I was hustling from the time that I was nine. I never disrespected basketball. But on the other side, I had to do what I had to.”
Throughout Caputo’s story, he hits on key moments in Smith’s career including his appearance on the cover of an issue of Sports Illustrated that was released the same year as Soul In The Hole. But Smith also sacrificed a potentially great career by continuously giving into negativity.
“When I was heading out there, I thought I’d change my life,” said Smith of his time at Arizona Western. “I said I wasn’t going to smoke weed or drink and just stay focused on basketball, but as soon as I got there, one of my teammates had a pound of weed under his bed. Everybody on our team was from the streets.”
Following his stint at Arizona Western things did not seem to look up for Smith. He had been shot twice and spent several years in jail.
Currently, Smith is the coach of a youth basketball team in New York City. To read more of SLAM’s story on Smith visit SLAMOnline.com.
The film’s soundtrack featured Brand Nubian, M.O.P. and Big Pun.
