Josh Smith didn't receive a welcome he would have liked when he returned to Detroit.
Smith spent one year with the Pistons early in his 15-year NBA career and Saturday he again took the court at Little Caesars Arena for the BIG3 season opener.
Smith, who plays for the Bivouac, was not only booed during the game but he was also ejected.
He and Royce White, who plays for the Enemies, were both tossed after getting into an altercation early in the contest.
Josh Smith vs Royce White 👀@thebig3 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/0GjjjKevJg
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) June 23, 2019
Smith's coach Reggie Theus didn't mind seeing that intensity from his player.
"As a coach, I enjoyed the intensity and the passion," Theus said, via USA Today. "Obviously he's got to contain himself."
While both moments were not ideal, the boos weren't far-fetched.
Smith didn't exactly excel in Detroit.
During his time with the Pistons, he averaged 15 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and shot 41.3 percent from the floor while struggling from 3-point range (26.2 percent). He did not necessarily mesh well his younger teammates at the time and played 105 games for the franchise before being waived in December 2014.
He bounced around from the Rockets, Clippers and back to the Rockets before spending time overseas. Smith eventually finished his NBA career with the Pelicans in 2017.
Smith joined the BIG3, a three-on-three league founded by rapper Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz, in March 2019.