Marcus Smart on being his family's last hope to escape poverty after his brother's death: "If you don't make it, then what are we doing?"

Marcus Smart is one of the toughest defenders in the NBA. In 2022, he became the first guard to win the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year since Gary Payton in 1996 and is also the shortest player to win the award at 6'3".

Looking back, Smart said his toughness was forged at an early age when his oldest brother, Todd, died of cancer in 2004. During an appearance on the "Run Your Race" podcast with Theo Pinson, Smart recalled the moment he realized failure was not an option for him.

"When my oldest brother died, my other two brothers pulled me to the side. I'll never forget this," he said. "I'm walking into the hospital, and the doctor told my mom, 'His heart's still pumping, he's brain dead. What do you want to do?' She said, 'Pull the plug. It's done.' I'll never forget it."

Smart was his family's last hope

Todd Westbrook was only 15 years old when doctors discovered a cancerous tumor behind his eye. He battled the disease for 18 years and passed away at the age of 33 in perhaps the most painful manner — their mother, Camellia Smart, had to make the hard decision to end his suffering.

As an All-District basketball star before he got cancer, Todd was supposed to be the child who would pull the family out of poverty. Marcus had two older brothers, Michael Smart and Jeff Westbrook, but both wasted their opportunities to succeed.

"I walk out of the room, I'm crying, and my oldest brother grabs me," Smart continued. "He was like, 'What are you crying for? Wipe your tears.' And he kept it real. He said, 'I fu—ed up. My other brother fu—ed up. And the only one that could have made it is gone. Mama ain't got nobody no more. You're the last one. And if you don't make it, then what we doing?'"

"All my family's crying, and I go in, I touch my brother, he's laying in the bed, looks like he's asleep. I touch his feet, and he's cold. I get in the bed, I lay with him, I kiss him, and I say, 'I love you,' and 'I got us,'" Smart concluded.

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Smart delivered

And so Marcus focused on basketball, with the goal of making it to the NBA one day and helping his family escape poverty. He attended Edward S. Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas and finished his prep career with a 115-6 record and two state championships in three years.

Smart left high school with a reputation as one of the fiercest competitors in the country.

"Marcus would miss a shot, get his own rebound, miss again, then grab another,"said teammate Phil Forte about Smart. "He was relentless."

Smart played two years at Oklahoma State and averaged 16.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game during that span. He entered the 2014 NBA Draft and was selected as the No. 6 overall pick by the Boston Celtics.

A month into his rookie year, Smart bought his mother a house in Dallas. With career earnings of approximately $142.2 million through the 2024-25 NBA season, he's undoubtedly taken care of his family.

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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.