When the Los Angeles Lakers signed free agent Marcus Smart over the summer, they reeled in a veteran determined to prove he could still compete for a championship contender. And while his team hasn't been consistent enough to earn that label this season, Smart and the Lakers have the third-best record in the Western Conference standings. Marcus knows he's lucky to still have an NBA career.

After helping the Lakers secure a 127-125 overtime win against the Denver Nuggets, Smart reflected on an injury that happened in 2022 that nearly resulted in him losing his right hand, he said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

“I got rushed to the ER and lost a lot of blood,” Smart told ESPN. “I passed out. … That's how much I lost.”

Smart, who missed a game-winning shot against the Lakers during his time with the Boston Celtics in 2018, regained consciousness after receiving 20 stitches.

“The doctor looked at me in my eye and told me, ‘I don't know how you still have use of your right hand,'” Smart said. “‘You should honestly be thanking God every day.'” The piece of glass that had sliced into his hand was just millimeters from severing its use entirely.

“They said it laid perfectly in between every tendon in my hand without damaging anything,” Smart added. “And they had to leave the extra piece in, because they said it will cause more damage if we go get it out.”

That piece of glass is still in Smart's right hand today.

“I've had two dislocations with torn ligaments in two of the fingers,” Smart said. “I've had glass in my hand. I've torn ligaments on my right thumb and had surgery there. I dislocated four out of my five fingers in total … my whole right hand just has been through a lot. So to be honest, I'm blessed to even have my right hand.

“For six years after the incident with the glass, I still had glass in my hand and I played with it. And there would be times where because of that, my hand would go numb. A lot of times, a lot of games, I couldn't control it. I had to play and there were a lot of times when I'm shooting the ball and just, I had no feeling in the arm, the hand.”
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Still, Smart, 32, can impact winning at a high level, which he proved in finishing with 21 points and five steals against the Nuggets.

Marcus Smart blasts Lakers haters

Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36) reacts against the New York Knicks in the first half at Crypto.com Arena
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Lakers veteran Marcus Smart didn't hold back on the haters. While reflecting on the scariest injury of his career, Smart had time to consider people who don't consider the Lakers a legitimate threat to win a title.

“We're tired of hearing people talk s—, basically,” Smart said. “I know I am. And if you're a competitor, if you have any type of competitor in you, you're going to be tired of that too. So you want to try to prove 'em wrong.”

The Lakers beat the Rockets 100-92 on Monday, extending their winning streak to six.