As the pinnacle of a profession fades into more distant memory, Ish Smith will always remember the scene he recorded when he looked up.

Confetti rained down on him, engulfing him like a realization.

“We won it,” he remembers thinking. “We won it.”

The solitary emotion from that championship celebration that Smith will always remember reflects how the 35-year-old thinks, makes decisions, and wound up back in Charlotte this season.

“I was just thinking about all the stories, the storylines,” Smith told The Denver Post on Monday, just hours after 2023 had passed. “From Nikola (Jokic) being a 41st-round pick to Denver taking a chance on him and selecting him over Nurk (Jusuf Nurkic), to him losing weight, getting into the gym, and dedicating himself.” Jamal Murray is recovering from an ACL tear. D.J. (DeAndre Jordan) and the Clip Show, and their inability to overcome the adversity. Jeff (Green) is recovering from heart surgery. Christian Braun walks in and immediately starts playing. Aaron Gordon is stepping down as a star.

“I could go on and on…” Everyone seems to have their own story. That’s why you see everyone laughing, hugging, and sobbing.”

Even after winning his first NBA title with his record-breaking 13th team, Smith’s default setting was to relish the significance of the achievement for his teammates. Smith’s ability to assist other players was a recurring theme over the summer months as he considered his options for the future.

Among those choices was, and nearly was, retirement from his playing career. Smith became a free agent after one season with the Nuggets. In August, his wife gave birth to their second child, a boy. Smith’s family lived in Denver while he was playing there, but Charlotte has always been his headquarters. Smith grew up in this town.

“We had settled in for a little bit, and we had a good little routine going,” he went on to say.

However, retirement from playing did not imply retirement from the pro basketball industry.

Smith was on the point of reconnecting with the Nuggets in a front office role that he described to The Denver Post as an apprenticeship before signing with the Hornets on the final day of the summer. He would have been stationed in Charlotte but would have made periodic trips to Denver to shadow various personnel in basketball operations.

“I was gonna do some consulting, and start learning the business a little bit more,” Smith told me. “Begin the transition to some front office. Some guidance. Who can say? I had no idea, but I was simply going… I planned to observe Calvin (general manager Calvin Booth) first, then Coach (Michael Malone). Try to assist as much as you can. I just wanted to learn so I could figure out what I wanted to do.”

Smith’s goal was to figure out what he wanted to achieve with his post-playing career through experience. He was even scheduled to attend a broadcasting class at Syracuse, which was coordinated by the NBA.

Smith said a few organizations approached him about signing him as a player for 2023-24, but with a championship and another child on the way, this seemed like a perfect finish.

The Hornets called him as he was on his way to a Wake Forest football game with his family – he played basketball for the Demon Deacons. Smith talked to his wife about it. Before being dealt to Washington, he had played 37 games for Charlotte during the 2021-22 season. His wife’s overarching sentiment was, “It’s home.”

Smith’s playing days were officially extended when he signed a contract extension with the Hornets on October 24.