It's nearly impossible to think of the US men's national team over the past two decades without picturing Jesse Smith. Smith is not only one of the most legendary defenders ever to play for Team USA, but is just the second athlete in the program's history to compete in five Olympic Games.

As one of a long line of California water polo stars who grew up on Coronado Island near San Diego, he helped Coronado High School win three CIF titles and was twice named San Diego Player of the Year. From there, it was off to Pepperdine where he launched his All-American career and would later be inducted into its Hall of Fame.

Just as his scholastic career was thriving, Smith was a quickly-rising star on the national team. Smith made his debut at the 2004 Athens Olympics when he was 21 and finished his Olympic run in Tokyo in 2021 at age 38. In between, Smith won five Pan American Games gold medals, three World League medals, and captured Olympic silver at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Professionally, Smith was a highly sought-after transfer who competed in Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, Italy, Turkey, Brazil and Egypt. He competed for seven years in the Champions League and twice made the final four. Domestically he was a mainstay for the New York Athletic Club, helping the program to a variety of titles. After retiring, the father of six has remained entrenched in the game as Head Coach of Coronado High School and the Coronado Aquatics Club. He also volunteers with PanAm Sports.