Former Auburn Tigers Star gets New $122 Million Contract from Rockets

AUBURN, Ala.- Former Auburn Tigers forward Jabari Smith Jr. will soon be inking a new deal with the Houston Rockets, keeping him in H-Town until the 2030-2031 season. Reportedly landing a five-year, $122 million extension. The deal comes after Houston traded for former league MVP Kevin Durant.

Got the bag 💰🤑 pic.twitter.com/4H6LvmcD0t
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) June 30, 2025

The former No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft has had a bit of ups and downs during his time with the Rockets. Last season, he averaged 12.2 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game despite coming off the bench after January.

According to ESPN research, he is the only player from the 2022 draft class to have accumulated 2,500 points and 1,500 rebounds so far in their career.

Prior to the NBA, Jabari shined in his one season at Auburn, leading the Tigers to their first-ever No.1 rank and Southeastern Conference regular season championship. He was eventually named the SEC Freshman of the Year, USBWA Freshman of the Year, and First Team All-SEC after averaging 16.9 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Houston is looking to retain some of its young core after trading Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks in exchange for Kevin Durant. ESPN’s Shams Chariania states, “The Rockets believe in his ability in the long term so much, they excluded him from any conversations around Kevin Durant and they got Kevin Durant anyway."

The former Tiger has an opportunity to grow his game and learn from one of the best scorers in NBA history and the fourth-best small forward of all time, according to ESPN, which could accelerate his craft to new levels. The former No.3 overall pick and SEC Freshman of the year still has yet to fully establish himself as a star player in the league, but the Rockets clearly have high hopes for him after inking him to this five-year extension.