Playing alongside LeBron James at the LA Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers, JR Smith does have two NBA chips to brag about in his resume. The former Laker and Cavalier is currently in procession of a $35,000,000 net worth, amassed from his NBA contracts and other off-court engagements. However, in a 2022 appearance in the ‘I Am an Athlete’ podcast, Smith admitted of his regret for spending $60,000 in a nightclub during the early days of his NBA career. Smith’s confession has once again gained traction by resurfacing on X (formerly Twitter).
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JR Smith was a valuable part of every team he has played in because of his sharpshooting skills. He is a former 6th man of the year and was known for living a vivid and colorful lifestyle off the court. However, since his retirement from the league, Smith seems to have changed much of his old habits and matured for the good.
JR Smith regrets his reckless spending habits from his early days in the NBA
Though JR Smith currently commends a sizeable net worth, the former Cavs and Lakers player believes that he could have been far more empathetic with his money earned. Early on in the NBA, the big cheques and the large sums of money earned do tend to deviate players from their goals and ambitions. There are several cases of players recklessly spending their money on luxuries and creating a colorful lifestyle. As Smith revealed in the ‘I Am an Athlete’ podcast, he regrets spending almost $60,000 on nightclubs, rather than contributing to the community.
“I could have fed my whole community 10 times over with the money I was [paying in fines] for being late on the bus. We’d rather go throw $60,000 in the strip club than go feed 2,500 people in the hood.”
J.R. Smith says he regrets his old spending habits, per @IAMATHLETEpod.
“I could have fed my whole community 10 times over with the money I was [paying in fines] for being late on the bus. We’d rather go throw $60K in the strip club than go feed 2,500 people in the hood.” pic.twitter.com/SPSPqN5pmh
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 17, 2023
JR once dreaded Kevin Durant joining the Warriors in 2016
Kevin Durant, joining forces with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson was a dread for every NBA team at that time. JR Smith had well apprehended this threat and had much to say about this epic team-up.
“I think the whole league did. When that happened, everybody was pretty much playing for (a) second. Don’t get me wrong, in the heat of the battle, we’re thinking, we have a chance, and we can win, but at the same time, it’s like, “What the hell are we supposed to do?” You’ve got three Hall of Famers, legit. What are you going to do?”.
With KD joining the Warriors, a title seemed imminent for the Warriors. Well, they did win the two titles with KD in the roster, with the ‘Slim Reaper’ winning the Finals MVP titles in both the championship runs.
