_(cropped).jpg) Smith with theCleveland Cavaliers in 2018 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1985-09-09)September 9, 1985 (age 40) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| NBA draft | 2004: 1st round, 18th overall pick |
| Drafted by | New Orleans Hornets |
| Playing career | 2004–2020 |
| Position | Shooting guard /small forward |
| Number | 23, 1, 5, 8, 21 |
| Career history | |
| 2004–2006 | New Orleans Hornets[a] |
| 2006–2011 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2011–2012 | Zhejiang Golden Bulls |
| 2012–2015 | New York Knicks |
| 2015–2019 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 12,148 (12.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 3,073 (3.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,077 (2.1 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Earl Joseph "J. R."Smith III[1] (born September 9, 1985) is an American former professionalbasketball player in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). Smith played high school basketball atNew Jersey basketball powerhouseSaint Benedict's Preparatory School inNewark. He entered the NBA out of high school after being selected in the first round of the2004 NBA draft with the 18th overall pick by theNew Orleans Hornets. He has also played for theDenver Nuggets,New York Knicks, and theCleveland Cavaliers as well as for theZhejiang Golden Bulls of theChinese Basketball Association (CBA). Smith won twoNBA championships, with theCleveland Cavaliers in2016 and with theLos Angeles Lakers in2020.[2]
In 2021, Smith enrolled atNorth Carolina A&T State University, where he joined theirAggies golf team.[3]
Born inFreehold Borough, New Jersey,[4] Smith grew up in theClarksburg section ofMillstone Township, New Jersey.[5] He spent five years in high school.[6] A freshman in 1999–2000, Smith went toSteinert High for the first semester and thenMcCorristin Catholic High for the next, both in New Jersey. Having not competed in sports for either school, he was permitted to transfer toLakewood High and repeat his freshman year. He played two seasons of basketball for Lakewood before transferring toSaint Benedict's Preparatory School in 2002.[6] Smith was highly rated infootball[6] and also playedbaseball.[7] He focused strictly on basketball as a senior.[6] He committed to play college basketball atNorth Carolina after a lengthy recruiting battle. However, after winning co-MVP withDwight Howard at the2004 McDonald's All-American Game,[6][8] Smith decided to forgo college and declared for the2004 NBA draft.[6]
Smith was selected by theNew Orleans Hornets with the 18th overall pick in the2004 NBA draft. As a rookie, Smith was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month three times (January, February, March) and participated in the 2005 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, finishing third.[7] After averaging 10.3 points in 76 games (56 starts) as a rookie, he averaged 7.7 points in 55 games (25 starts) in 2005–06.[7] Smith fell out of favor with Hornets coachByron Scott due to a poor work ethic. He began the 2005–06 season as the starting shooting guard and ended it out of the rotation.[9]
On July 14, 2006, Smith was traded, alongsideP. J. Brown, to theChicago Bulls in exchange forTyson Chandler.[9] Six days later, he was traded again, this time to theDenver Nuggets in exchange forHoward Eisley and two second-round draft picks.[10] During his first season in Denver, Smith served a 10-game NBA suspension from December 18 to January 8 following his involvement in theKnicks/Nuggets melee at New York'sMadison Square Garden on December 16.[7][11] He later missed eight games between February 23 and March 11 while recovering from arthroscopic left knee surgery.[7] After struggling in the first four games of the Nuggets' first-round playoff series against theSan Antonio Spurs, including going 0-for-12 from 3-point range, Smith was benched for Game 5 of the series.[12] Nuggets coachGeorge Karl reportedly had had enough of Smith's mistakes throughout the series, compounded by Smith's 3-pointer with 25.7 seconds left in Game 4 with Denver trailing 93–89.[12]
During the 2007–08 season, Smith established career highs for field goal percentage (.461) and 3-point percentage (.403).[7] During the 2008–09 season, he averaged 15.2 points over 81 games (18 starts), finishing second in voting for theNBA Sixth Man of the Year Award behindJason Terry.[7] In February 2009, he participated in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest,[13] finishing third.[7] On April 13, 2009, Smith had a career-high 45 points and franchise-best 11 3-pointers to help the Nuggets clinch the Northwest Division title and home-court edge in the playoffs for the first time in 21 years with a 118–98 win over theSacramento Kings.[14]
On December 23, 2009, Smith scored a season-high 41 points against theAtlanta Hawks, becoming the first NBA player ever to record multiple games of 10+ 3-pointers.[7] He finished the 2009–10 season averaging a then career-high 15.4 points per game.[15] In 2010–11, he averaged 12.3 points and 2.2 assists as the Nuggets' sixth man.[16] Smith's tenure with the Nuggets ended in September 2011 due to theNBA lockout. A fan favorite in Denver for his 3-point shooting and electric dunks, Smith often drew the ire of coach George Karl for his befuddling shot selection.[16]
In September 2011, due to theNBA lockout, Smith signed a one-year deal with theZhejiang Golden Bulls of theChinese Basketball Association (CBA).[16] In accordance with CBA rules, Smith's contract with the Golden Bulls did not include an opt-out clause that would allow him to return to the NBA following the conclusion of the lockout.[17] His deal was estimated to be worth around $3 million, the highest in league history.[17] In 32 games for Zhejiang, he averaged 34.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.5 steals per game. On February 1, 2012, he scored a season-high 60 points with 14 3-pointers in a 122–110 win over theQingdao Eagles.[18] He had four 50+ point games during the season.[19]
On February 17, 2012, Smith signed with theNew York Knicks.[20] He appeared in 35 games for the Knicks to finish the regular season, before appearing in all five of the Knicks' postseason games.[21]
On July 11, 2012, Smith re-signed with the Knicks.[21] In 2012–13, he averaged a career-high 18.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists over 33.5 minutes in 80 games off the bench. He earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for the period ending March 31, after posting three consecutive 30-point efforts off the bench, becoming the first NBA player to accomplish the feat in over 23 years. He was subsequently named theNBA Sixth Man of the Year, becoming just the third player in franchise history to win the award, joiningAnthony Mason andJohn Starks.[22][23]
On July 11, 2013, Smith re-signed with the Knicks.[22] He missed the first five games of the 2013–14 season for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy.[24] On March 26, he hit nine 3-pointers against theSacramento Kings, tying the Knicks' franchise record.[7] On April 4, he scored a season-high 32 points with eight 3-pointers in a 90–89 loss to theWashington Wizards.[25][26] Two days later, in a 102–91 loss to theMiami Heat, Smith broke an NBA record of 21 three-pointers taken in a single game, a mark set in 2005 byDamon Stoudamire. Smith hit 10 of 22 3-point shots against the Heat, setting a franchise record for 3-pointers made and finishing with 32 points for the second straight game.[27][28]
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On January 5, 2015, Smith was acquired by theCleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade that involved the Knicks and theOklahoma City Thunder.[29] On April 27, 2015, Smith was suspended for the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals after he swung his arm and made contact with the head of Celtics forwardJae Crowder in Game 4 of their first-round series against Boston.[30] In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against theAtlanta Hawks, Smith made eight 3-pointers and scored 28 points in a 97–89 victory.[31] He helped the Cavaliers sweep the Hawks to reach theNBA Finals, where they lost to theGolden State Warriors in six games. During Cleveland's NBA Finals run in the 2015 playoffs, Smith appeared in 18 games (four starts), averaging 12.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 31.1 minutes per game.[32]
On September 2, 2015, Smith re-signed with the Cavaliers.[32] Smith played in 77 games (all starts) with Cleveland in the 2015–16 regular season, averaging 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 30.7 minutes. He ranked seventh in the league in 3-pointers made (204), setting a franchise single-season record. He also shot .400 from beyond the arc, which was tied for 18th-best in the NBA. Smith led Cleveland in steal-to-turnover ratio (1.37) and scored 10 or more points 50 times and 20 or more points 11 times.[33] During Cleveland's playoff run, Smith started in all 21 games, averaging 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 34.8 minutes per game. He made a franchise playoff-record 65 3-pointers, which were also the fourth-most threes made by any NBA player in a single postseason. Smith scored in double figures in each of the last five games of theNBA Finals, as Cleveland went 4–1 over that stretch against Golden State and took home the franchise's first NBA title.[33]
On October 15, 2016, Smith re-signed with the Cavaliers.[33] After a contract stalemate that had consumed nearly the first three weeks of training camp, Smith and the Cavaliers reached an agreement on a four-year deal worth $57 million.[34] On November 1, in a win over the Houston Rockets, Smith hit his 344th three-pointer, passingDamon Jones for ninth place on the team's all-time list.[35] On November 18, he hit three 3-pointers against theDetroit Pistons to move pastDirk Nowitzki into 15th place on the NBA's career list for 3-pointers.[36] On December 13, Smith, having been in a season-long shooting slump, scored 17 of his season-high 23 points in the first half of the Cavaliers' 103–86 win over theMemphis Grizzlies. He came into the game shooting a career-low 31 percent from the field and 32 percent on 3-pointers, the lowest mark since his rookie season with New Orleans. He finished the game with 8-of-17 from the field and 6-of-10 on 3s, passingDale Ellis (1,719) for 14th on the career three-pointer list.[37] On December 20, in a win over theMilwaukee Bucks, Smith suffered a fractured right thumb that required surgery.[38] Three days later, he was ruled out for 12–14 weeks.[39] He made his return to the line-up on March 9 against the Pistons.[40] Smith helped the Cavaliers go 12–1 over the first three rounds of the playoffs to reach the NBA Finals for a third straight season. There the Cavaliers faced the Warriors, but lost theseries in five games.[41]
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Smith struggled over the first 10 games of the 2017–18 season.[42] He found his form on November 7, scoring a season-high 20 points on 5-of-7 3-pointers in a 124–119 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, passingRashard Lewis (1,787) for 14th place on the NBA's career 3-pointers made list.[42] On December 14, in a 121–112 win over theLos Angeles Lakers, Smith passedChauncey Billups (1,830) for 11th place on the NBA's career 3-pointers made list.[43] On March 2, 2018, Smith was suspended by the Cavaliers for one game for throwing a bowl of soup at assistant coach,Damon Jones.[44] During Game 1 of theNBA Finals against the Warriors, Smith got a free-throw rebound with 4.7 seconds left in regulation time.[45] The game was tied, meaning that a basket would have won the game. Smith, apparently confused and thinking the Cavaliers were leading, attempted to dribble out the clock before realizing his error and frantically passing toGeorge Hill with 1.2 seconds left, in front of a visibly irate LeBron James. The Cavaliers lost 124–114 in overtime. In a post-game interview, Smith initially claimed to have known it was a tie game.[46] He later backtracked, saying: "After thinking about it a lot... I can't say I was sure of anything at that point."[47] The Cavaliers went on to lose the series in a four-game sweep.[48]
Cleveland began2018–19 with a 2–13 record after LeBron James left the team in free agency for the Lakers. Head coachTyronn Lue had been fired after an 0–6 start, the team was suffering injuries to All-StarKevin Love and others, and Smith's role had been reduced. On November 20, 2018, the Cavaliers announced that Smith "will no longer be with team as the organization works with JR and his representation regarding his future." A day earlier, he had accused the team of not trying to win, saying their goal was to "develop [young players] and lose to get lottery picks."[49][50]
On July 15, 2019, he was waived by the Cavaliers.[51]
On July 1, 2020, Smith signed with theLos Angeles Lakers for the remainder of the2019–20 season, reuniting him with former Cavaliers teammateLeBron James.[52] On July 30, he made his debut for the Lakers, recording no points and one foul in a 103–101 win over theLos Angeles Clippers.[53] On August 3, Smith logged his first points for the Lakers, grabbing four points in a 116–108 win over theUtah Jazz.[54] On August 13, he recorded a season-high 11 points, along with one rebound and two assists, in a 122–136 loss to theSacramento Kings.[55] On August 20, he recorded a playoff-high 11 points, along with two assists, in a 111–88 win over thePortland Trail Blazers.[56] Smith went on to win his second NBA championship when the Lakers defeated theMiami Heat in six games.[57]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | New Orleans | 76 | 56 | 24.5 | .394 | .288 | .689 | 2.0 | 1.9 | .7 | .1 | 10.3 |
| 2005–06 | New Orleans | 55 | 25 | 18.0 | .393 | .371 | .822 | 2.0 | 1.1 | .7 | .1 | 7.7 |
| 2006–07 | Denver | 63 | 24 | 23.3 | .441 | .390 | .810 | 2.3 | 1.4 | .8 | .1 | 13.0 |
| 2007–08 | Denver | 74 | 0 | 19.2 | .461 | .403 | .719 | 2.1 | 1.7 | .8 | .2 | 12.3 |
| 2008–09 | Denver | 81 | 18 | 27.7 | .446 | .397 | .754 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 1.0 | .2 | 15.2 |
| 2009–10 | Denver | 75 | 0 | 27.8 | .414 | .338 | .706 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.3 | .3 | 15.4 |
| 2010–11 | Denver | 79 | 6 | 24.9 | .435 | .390 | .738 | 4.1 | 2.2 | 1.2 | .2 | 12.3 |
| 2011–12 | New York | 35 | 1 | 27.6 | .407 | .337 | .709 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 1.5 | .2 | 12.5 |
| 2012–13 | New York | 80 | 0 | 33.5 | .422 | .356 | .762 | 5.3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | .3 | 18.1 |
| 2013–14 | New York | 74 | 37 | 32.7 | .415 | .394 | .652 | 4.0 | 3.0 | .9 | .3 | 14.5 |
| 2014–15 | New York | 24 | 6 | 25.8 | .402 | .356 | .692 | 2.4 | 3.4 | .8 | .2 | 10.9 |
| 2014–15 | Cleveland | 46 | 45 | 31.8 | .425 | .390 | .818 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.4 | .4 | 12.7 |
| 2015–16† | Cleveland | 77 | 77 | 30.7 | .415 | .400 | .634 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 1.1 | .3 | 12.4 |
| 2016–17 | Cleveland | 41 | 35 | 29.0 | .346 | .351 | .667 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .3 | 8.6 |
| 2017–18 | Cleveland | 80 | 61 | 28.1 | .403 | .375 | .696 | 2.9 | 1.8 | .9 | .1 | 8.3 |
| 2018–19 | Cleveland | 11 | 4 | 20.2 | .342 | .308 | .800 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .3 | 6.7 |
| 2019–20† | L.A. Lakers | 6 | 0 | 13.2 | .318 | .091 | 1.000 | .8 | .5 | .2 | .0 | 2.8 |
| Career | 977 | 395 | 26.9 | .419 | .373 | .733 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .2 | 12.4 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Denver | 4 | 0 | 11.8 | .273 | .000 | 1.000 | 2.3 | .5 | 1.0 | .3 | 4.5 |
| 2008 | Denver | 4 | 0 | 27.0 | .535 | .318 | .833 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.0 | .0 | 18.3 |
| 2009 | Denver | 16 | 0 | 27.2 | .454 | .358 | .543 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 1.1 | .3 | 14.9 |
| 2010 | Denver | 6 | 0 | 26.5 | .368 | .355 | .875 | 3.8 | 1.7 | .7 | .3 | 11.2 |
| 2011 | Denver | 5 | 0 | 15.2 | .356 | .429 | .727 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .4 | .0 | 9.8 |
| 2012 | New York | 5 | 0 | 35.0 | .316 | .179 | 1.000 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 1.2 | .2 | 12.2 |
| 2013 | New York | 11 | 0 | 31.9 | .331 | .273 | .721 | 4.7 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .5 | 14.3 |
| 2015 | Cleveland | 18 | 4 | 31.1 | .403 | .359 | .700 | 4.7 | 1.2 | 0.9 | .6 | 12.8 |
| 2016† | Cleveland | 21 | 21 | 34.5 | .459 | .429 | .619 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 1.2 | .2 | 11.5 |
| 2017 | Cleveland | 18 | 18 | 27.1 | .505 | .500 | .455 | 2.3 | .7 | .7 | .3 | 8.1 |
| 2018 | Cleveland | 22 | 21 | 32.1 | .348 | .367 | .773 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 1.0 | .2 | 8.7 |
| 2020† | L.A. Lakers | 10 | 0 | 7.5 | .269 | .273 | .000 | .3 | .3 | .2 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Career | 140 | 64 | 27.9 | .397 | .367 | .706 | 3.0 | 1.3 | .9 | .3 | 10.7 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Zhejiang | 32 | 8 | 36.4 | .517 | .478 | .758 | 7.4 | 4.1 | 2.5 | .1 | 34.4 |
On August 11, 2021, it was reported that Smith enrolled atNorth Carolina A&T State University, aiming for adegree in liberal studies and planning to join theAggies golf team.[58][59] The university announced on October 8, 2021, that Smith had qualified to play in the Aggies' upcoming tournament, thePhoenix Invitational hosted by nearbyElon University, on October 11 and 12. Under team rules, all golfers must qualify for regular-season tournaments in practice unless they were among the team's top two golfers in its previous tournament. Smith qualified for the Phoenix Invitational by one stroke,[60] shooting rounds of 83 and 78 (respectively 12 and 7 over par) on the event's first day.[61] Smith was named the North Carolina A&T Academic Athlete of the Year for 2021–2022 with a 4.0 GPA.[62] Smith's time with the men's golf team is the focus of the 2023 docuseriesRedefined: J. R. Smith.[63]
In 2021, J.R Smith signed withComplexity Gaming, and he has also played Warzone tournaments.[64]
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In 2012,The New York Times described Smith as perhaps the most heavilytattooed player in the NBA. He said that he got his first tattoo at 15 years old, has been in "[p]robably a thousand" tattoo parlors as of December 2012[update] and had lost count of his number of tattoos "around 70-something."[65] In June 2016, a Cleveland clothing company began selling aT-shirt which reproduced Smith's torso and upper arm tattoos.[66]
In November 2016, Smith appeared on stage with his family at a Cleveland rally for theHillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign to endorseClinton's candidacy for the2016 United States presidential election.[67]
Smithmodeled forNike andSupreme in 2018. He subsequently had the Supreme logo tattooed on hiscalf.[68]
Smith is the son of Ida and Earl Smith, and has three brothers and two sisters. His younger brotherChris briefly played alongside him on the Knicks in 2013–14.[69] His younger brother Dimitrius played football atMonmouth University.[70]
In August 2016, Smith married Jewel Harris;[71] the couple have three daughters together. Smith has one daughter from a previous relationship.[72] Their second daughter together was born in January 2017, weighing one pound at birth.[73] Former teammatesCarmelo Anthony andChris Paul are the godfathers of his first two daughters.[74][75] On September 27, 2024, he welcomed a son with actressCandice Patton.[76]
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On June 9, 2007, Smith and two passengers were injured in a car accident on Stagecoach Road inMillstone Township, New Jersey, when the SUV he was driving collided with another car.[77] Smith and a passenger, Andre Bell, were ejected from the vehicle at around 5:30 p.m. Smith's vehicle went through a stop sign and collided with the other car.[77] Smith was taken to Jersey Shore University Hospital.[77] Bell suffered serious head injuries[77] before being pronounced dead on the night of June 11.[78] Neither Smith nor the second passenger suffered life-threatening injuries.[77] Smith and Bell were not wearing seatbelts at the time.[78] In October 2008, a grand jury inMonmouth County, New Jersey, declined to indict Smith on avehicular manslaughter charge stemming from the accident.
On June 30, 2009, Smith pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving in relation to the June 2007 accident. Smith was initially sentenced to 90 days in a Monmouth County (N.J.) jail, but 60 of those days were suspended, on the condition that he complete 500 hours of community service. On July 31, 2009,The Denver Post reported that Smith was released from jail after serving 24 days of his sentence.[79]
On August 5, 2009, Smith suspended his Twitter account after he was accused of writing in a way that reflected theBloods gang, specifically replacing his c's with k's.[80]
On August 28, 2009, Smith was suspended seven games for the 2009–10 NBA season in response to his guilty plea to a reckless driving charge related to the fatal 2007 accident. The NBA also cited his poor driving record as grounds for the suspension.[81] Smith's driving record included five suspensions in eight months, but was "in good standing" at the time of the crash in New Jersey. He was required to pay restoration fees and fines. Smith totaled 27 points against his record from April 2005 to January 2006, including eight violations on seven different days. Five citations were forspeeding.[82] Since the accident, he has[as of?] received two more speeding tickets and three license suspensions in New Jersey.[83]
In March 2012, Smith was fined $25,000 by the NBA for posting a picture of modelTahiry Jose on his Twitter account.[84] In May 2012, Smith was arrested inMiami Beach, Florida for failing to appear in court in 2011 after he was cited for operating a motor scooter with no valid license.[1] The following month, he sued his former team, theZhejiang Golden Bulls, for $1 million after the team withheld that amount from his salary claiming he missed many practices and faked an injury.[85]
In September 2018, the NBA threatened to fine Smith if he appeared in a game without covering up the Supreme logo tattooed on his leg. Smith initially resisted but, after talking withNational Basketball Players Association officials, eventually agreed to hide the tattoo.[86]
On May 31, 2020, Smith was seen on video allegedly attacking another man. The man was allegedly participating in theGeorge Floyd protests and had allegedly broken Smith's truck window with his skateboard. Smith claimed in a video to have chased the man down and "whooped his ass" because he "broke his shit", and he referred to the man as a "motherfucking white boy."[87][unreliable source?]
J. R. Smith, a 6–6 guard from Clarksburg, N.J., scored 16 points to win the East's most valuable player award.
