National Basketball Association

Josh Smith calls out Hawks fans after being booed in Atlanta

Published Mar. 4, 2015 5:31 a.m. ET

foxsports

Atlanta fans booed Houston's Josh Smith, who grew up in nearby Powder Springs and played his first nine seasons with the Hawks, nearly every time he touched the ball in Tuesday's 104-96 Hawks victory.

The jeers were particularly hard after Smith twice hit a 3-pointer, holding up both arms and putting an index finger to his lips to hush his detractors late in the third and early in the fourth. Smith, considered a talented underachiever during his stay in Atlanta and later in Detroit, missed a straightaway 3 later in the fourth, committed an offensive foul, left the game with 3:10 remaining and didn't return. He finished with 14 points.

Smith was disappointed to get booed after ''all I've been doing was positive things in the community and with the basketball team. I mean those fans are fickle, very fickle. And you know, bandwagoners, so it really doesn't mean anything to me.''