“Straight Bucket”: Marcus Spears Credits WNBA Wife Aiysha Smith for Son’s Budding NBA Dreams

Former NFL defensive end Marcus Spears credited his wife, Aiysha Smith, for their son Spears Jr.’s basketball dreams. Spears’ wife was a professional basketball player herself, spending two seasons in the WNBA.

On Saturday, Spears shared an old picture of his wife’s time in the league, citing her proficiency at basketball as the origin of his son’s talents at the game.

“Where @marcusjr31 gets it from @anaturalqt was a straight bucket,” Spears wrote.

Spears also highlighted his son’s debut in the Overtime Elite league, where he suited up for FaZe’s inaugural roster. He made an impact on his debut, recording 28 points and nine rebounds.

Highlights from the game show Spears Jr.’s soft touch around the rim, ability to finish in traffic, solid athleticism and shooting touch. Despite the skills on display, Marcus Spears wasn’t impressed as he shared the statline on social media and wrote:

“More work.”

Spears shares his son’s OTE debut highlights

His wife, Aiysha Smith, made it to the WNBA in 2003 after the Washington Mystics picked her at No. 7. Coming into the league, Smith was a highly-rated guard who could stretch the floor with her 3-point shooting ability.

Her time in the league was short-lived as Smith left the WNBA after two seasons with the Mystics. She played 60 games, averaging 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds.

Marcus Spears’ son set to walk in WNBA wife’s footsteps as a professional basketball player

ESPN announced Marcus Spears and Aiysha Smith’s son as the No. 1 prospect in men’s basketball for the recruiting class of 2027. As he heads toward the final year of his high school career, Spears Jr. has reportedly received offers from 13 different college programs, according to 247Sports.

Universities with prestigious basketball programs, such as Kentucky and USC, among others, have approached Spears Jr. If he can continue to improve over the next few years, the 6-foot-8 power forward is more than likely to find himself on an NBA roster after college.

After Spears and his wife’s playing careers, the family is preparing to send another member of the Spears clan into the world of professional sports, and as the former NFL DE pointed out, the credit goes to his wife.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by Sameer Khan