J.R. Smith Was Once Fined $25,000 for Tweeting an Inappropriate Photo
J.R. Smith certainly had a rollercoaster career in the NBA. From winning the Sixth Man of the Year award with the New York Knicks to costing the Cleveland Cavaliers a win in the 2018 NBA Finals with an awful blunder, Smith has experienced many highs and lows.
Looking at some of the lows, though, the NBA once fined Smith $25,000 for posting an inappropriate photo on Twitter. Here’s how it all played out:
J.R. Smith proved how talented he was on the Nuggets and Knicks
Entering the 2004 NBA Draft right out of high school, the New Orleans Hornets ultimately selected J.R. Smith with the 18th overall pick.
He played for them in 2004-05 and 2005-06 and averaged 9.2 points per game in those seasons. In his next five seasons, though, Smith played for the Denver Nuggets and became a star. He averaged 13 points per game in 2006-07 for the Nuggets, and then after scoring 12.3 points per game in 2007-08, he scored 15.2 points per game for the team in 2008-09.
Smith also helped the Nuggets become an excellent team in 2008-09. The Nuggets went 54-28 that year — the most wins for the team since the 1975-76 season. The team reached the Western Conference Finals that year, and Smith ultimately scored 14.9 points per game in the playoffs overall.
Smith played for the Nuggets in the next two seasons after that but then began playing for the New York Knicks in 2011-12.
After playing in only 35 games in 2011-12, Smith was among the best players in the league in 2012-13. He averaged 18.1 points per game and 5.3 rebounds that season for the Knicks, both career highs. Smith’s play ultimately helped him earn the 2013 Sixth Man of the Year award.
Smith then played for the Knicks in 2013-14 and part of the 2014-15 season. This was before he ultimately went to the Cleveland Cavaliers for 2014-15.
Winning a title in Cleveland but also being remembered for a blunder
J.R. Smith helped the Cavaliers have a lot of success from 2014-18. When the Cavaliers traded for Smith, the Cavaliers were only 19-16. They ultimately went 34-13 throughout the rest of that regular season, though, and then went to the NBA Finals.
The Cavaliers celebrated three more consecutive NBA Finals after that, and Smith was a big reason they won a championship in 2016. Despite being so productive in Cleveland, many people remember his time there for his big blunder during the 2018 NBA Finals.
With Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors being tied 107-107 with four seconds left, Smith collected a rebound off George Hill’s missed free throw. Then it seemed like Smith thought the Cavaliers had the lead. He did not try to give his team a chance to win before the buzzer went off.
The Cavaliers lost in overtime to the Warriors 124-114 and lost the series in four games.
The NBA once fined Smith for posting an inappropriate photo
During the 2012 NBA season, when Smith played for the Knicks, the NBA fined him $25,000. This came after he posted a semi-nude photo of a woman on Twitter, according to Sporting News.
“I didn’t know it was going to be as big deal as it is now,” Smith said, according to The Denver Post. “I definitely regret it. It takes away from our team. Anytime I do anything that takes away from our team, I’m definitely going to regret it.”
The photo, which was ultimately deleted, was of model Tahiry Jose, who is known for being on Love & Hip Hop: New York. Bleacher Report reported Smith and Jose were dating at the time. The picture then started somewhat of a Twitter beef between him and Jose’s ex, Joe Budden. It was just not a good look.
J.R. Smith played his last NBA game on October 4, 2020. He had many great and bad moments in his NBA career. The time he posted the inappropriate photo of Jose on Twitter definitely goes down as one of those bad moments.
Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference
