Kay Smits

{{short description|Dutch handball player (born 1997)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}

{{Infobox handball biography

| name = Kay Smits

| fullname = Kay Kirsten Evert Smits

| image = 2024-09-15 Handball TVB Stuttgart - SG Flensburg by mroptimax-31.jpg

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1997|3|31|df=y}}

| birth_place = Geleen, Netherlands

| nationality = Dutch

| height = 1.86 m

| position = Right back

| currentclub = SG Flensburg-Handewitt

| clubnumber = 33

| years1 = 2014–2016

| clubs1 = Limburg Lions

| years2 = 2016–2018

| clubs2 = Wilhelmshavener HV

| years3 = 2018–2021

| clubs3 = TTH Holstebro

| years4 = 2020

| clubs4 = → SC Magdeburg (loan)

| years5 = 2021–2023

| clubs5 = SC Magdeburg

| years6 = 2023–

| clubs6 = SG Flensburg-Handewitt

| nationalyears1 = 2016–

| nationalteam1 = Netherlands

| nationalcaps1 = 80

| nationalgoals1 = 368

}}

Kay Kirsten Evert Smits (born 31 March 1997) is a Dutch handball player for SG Flensburg-Handewitt and the Dutch national team.

He is the first ever men's player of the Netherlands to win the EHF Champions League, Europe's most important club competition with SC Magdeburg in 2022/2023.

He represented the Netherlands at the 2022 and 2020 European Men's Handball Championship and the 2023 World Men's Handball Championship. Smits had to withdraw for the 2024 EHF Euro's due to inflammation of his heart muscle.{{cite web|url=https://heren.handbal.nl/richardsson-maakt-definitieve-ek-selectie-bekend/|title=Richardsson maakt definitieve EK-selectie bekend|date=5 January 2020|work=heren.handbal.nl|access-date=29 June 2020|archive-date=24 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224031156/https://heren.handbal.nl/richardsson-maakt-definitieve-ek-selectie-bekend/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web |url=https://livecache.sportresult.com/node/binaryData/HBL_PROD/HBEC20M/PDF_ROSTER_NED.PDF |title=2020 European Men's Handball Championship squad |access-date=29 June 2020 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624212504/https://livecache.sportresult.com/node/binaryData/HBL_PROD/HBEC20M/PDF_ROSTER_NED.PDF |url-status=dead }}

Although Kay Smits is still an active player, he is already considered as the best Dutch right back ever. His father {{ill|Gino Smits|nl}}, sister Inger and brother Jorn are also international handball players for the Netherlands. [https://nos.nl/artikel/2364887-de-genen-van-handbalfamilie-smits-later-beseffen-we-hoe-bijzonder-dit-is.html De genen van handbalfamilie Smits: 'Later beseffen we hoe bijzonder dit is'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128010249/https://nos.nl/artikel/2364887-de-genen-van-handbalfamilie-smits-later-beseffen-we-hoe-bijzonder-dit-is.html |date=2021-01-28 }}, NOS, 19 January 2021