Braden Smith Earns Rightful Spot at Purdue's Cardinal Court

Purdue guard Braden Smith has earned his spot at Purdue's Cardinal Court, the team's practice facility, as a two-time All-American.

Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) dribbles the ball against the Arizona Wildcats. | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Purdue guard Braden Smith has been properly honored at the school's basketball practice facility. As a two-time All-American, the former Boilermaker has a new sign hanging up inside Cardinal Court.

Smith was a first-team All-American in both 2025 and 2026. Purdue honors its All-Americans with signage for each player inside Cardinal Court. Smith will also have his name and number hanging inside Mackey Arena as a two-time selection.

The Purdue men's basketball program shared an updated image from Cardinal Court on Friday. Smith is the latest addition to the club. His former teammate, Zach Edey, also has a spot as a two-time All-American in 2023 and 2024.

An update to Cardinal Court. pic.twitter.com/pNt5CE1gJF

— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) April 24, 2026

Smith closed out his impressive career in West Lafayette as the team's leading scorer and top passer, averaging 14.3 points and 8.8 assists per game. He also averaged 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest.

The Westfield, Ind. native ended his time at Purdue as the NCAA's all-time assist leader, passing Duke's Bobby Hurley for the top spot in the record book. He dished out 1,103 assists, scored 1,932 points and collected 673 rebounds during his four-year career.

Perhaps most impressively, Smith was a four-year starter at Purdue and never missed a game. He won two Big Ten championships (2023, 2024), a pair of Big Ten Tournament titles (2023, 2026), and guided the Boilermakers to the NCAA Tournament all four years. He was part of the program's Final Four team in 2024 and, in 2025, was named the Big Ten Player of the Year.

What's next for Braden Smith?

Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) dribbles the ball. | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

With his college career in the rearview mirror, Smith will now turn his attention to the NBA. He is expected to be selected at some point in the 2026 NBA Draft, though it's unclear what his projection is right now.

ESPN lists Smith as the No. 45 prospect available in this year's draft. That would make him a mid-second-round selection. However, he's proven himself to be the best passer in the history of college basketball and can also score from multiple areas on the floor.

Will Smith's elite skill set bump him up higher in the NBA Draft? Will his unique style, energy and passing ability make him an appealing prospect to a specific team as a potential first-round pick?

There are a lot of questions regarding Smith's draft projection right now, but we may get a little more clarity following the NBA Scouting Combine next month.

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