Philadelphia , PA -- The Philadelphia 76'ers announced their opening day roster for the 2006-07 season and among the 15-man squad is La Salle great Steven Smith.

Smith shared an Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Award in 2004-05 and won the award outright during his senior season after a career that saw him score 1,940 points and become the school's seventh all-time leading scorer. 

Smith, who was a partial qualifier out of Philadelphia's Northeast High, was forced to sit out his first season on campus until he met the academic standards to become eligible.  Smith did so and then surpassed those standards to earn his degree after his junior year of eligibility.  With a degree and an Atlantic 10 Player of the Year award in hand, he chose to stay at La Salle for a fifth year and forego the NBA Draft in the summer of 2005.

In that final season Smith led the Explorers to an unprecedented thrid-place finish in the Atlantic 10 and scored 551 points with 220 rebounds.

Smith enters the NBA just four years after another La Salle great Rasual Butler was drafted by the Miami Heat.  Butler, a current New Orleans Hornet is entering his fifth professional season.

Other recent Explorer NBA'ers include:
Tim Legler (began 10-year NBA career in 1987)
Lionel Simmons (drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 1990)
Doug Overton (drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 1991)
Randy Woods (drafted by Los Angeles Clippers in 1992)

La Salle has placed over 20 different players in the National Basketball Association in the last half century.  Dozens of others have gone on to successful careers overseas including Jermaine Thomas who finished his La Salle career in May of 2005.