The 2013 National Basketball Association’s sixth Man of the Year, JR Smith, who currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, is one of the most talked about people in the league for his activities on and off the court .
The shooting guard, who started playing professional basketball straight out of high school after being drafted by the New Orleans Hornets with the 18th pick in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft, is a winner of the NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016 and is known for his incredible three-point shots.
Biography of JR Smith
JR Smith was born Earl Joseph “JR” Smith III on September 9, 1985, in Freehold Borough, New Jersey, USA, to his parents, Earl and Ida Smith. He attended Millstone Middle School, having grown up locally, in the Clarksburg section of Millstone Township, New Jersey.
Smith attended a number of high schools, including Steinert High School, McCorristin Catholic High School, Lakewood High School, and then St. Benedict Preparatory High School where he graduated. It was at Lakewood, however, that Smith’s love for the game became evident as he began playing basketball in high school. When he later transferred to St. Benedicts prep, his game improved and his performances caught the eye of many colleges, including Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels. In 2003, he signed a letter of intent to play in the program, but later changed his mind and declared himself eligible for the 2004 draft following an MVP performance at the McDonald’s All-American Game where he scored 25 points.
In his first season in the NBA, Smith was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for three consecutive months; January, February and March 2005. He entered the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk competition that year and finished third, finishing behind Amare Stoudemire and Josh Smith.
The standard JR Smith set in its first season was unfortunately unpaired in its second full year. The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina could have played a role since the team had to play its games in Oklahoma City. Additionally, Chris Paul’s drafting meant that Smith’s role was shortened as did his stat line.
For the 2006-07 season, the Hornets decided to trade Smith for the Chicago Bulls in a package with PJ Brown for Tyson Chandler. He was then traded by the Bulls to the Denver Nuggets for two second-round picks and Howard Eisley.
Smith’s time in Denver was full of ups and downs. Just months after signing, the New Jersey native was embroiled in the infamous Knicks-Nuggets brawl which led to a 10-game suspension. Later in the season, he suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee, but he still managed to play a part in the playoffs that year. In October 2007, he was involved in an accident at a Denver nightclub, which resulted in a three-game suspension. After this incident, Smith began to focus more on his game helping his team reach the playoffs, including making it to the Western Conference Finals. In one season, he had the second most points in the league.
JR Smith spent the 2011-12 season in China playing for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls due to the NBA lockout. He returned the following season and signed for the New York Knicks. In his second year with the Knicks, Smith received the Sixth Man award. This made him a fan favorite as he was the first Knick since John Starks in the 1996–97 season to win the award.
On January 5, 2015, Smith alongside teammate ImanShumpert was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers where he found some stability alongside Lebron James for the first time in his career. In Cleveland, he set the franchise playoff three-pointer record with eight points scored from three points off the bench against the Atlanta Hawks. The team lost the 2015 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors.
He re-signed with the team the following season and won his first and only championship to date when the Cavaliers became the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series. He is also currently ranked 11th on the NBA’s 3-pointers list.
Net value
The net worth of JR Smith is around $20 million dollars. This is largely due to his fairly lucrative contract with the NBA. With such a sum of money in the bank, it is the only right that one spoils himself from time to time. In the case of JR Smith, he buys cars. He currently owns several luxury vehicles, including a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, a Ferrari 458, a Range Rover, a Mercedes-Benz S550 and G550, and a Bentley Mulsanne.
JR Smith’s Family – Wife, Daughter, Brother
JR Smith comes from a large family. He has three brothers and two sisters. One of his younger brothers, Chris, played in Manhattan and Louisville before briefly playing alongside him for the Knicks in the 2013-14 season. His other brother, Dimitrius, plays football and is currently at Monmouth University.
In 2016, Smith married Jewel Harris. The couple have three daughters named Dakota, Demi and Peyton.
Quick facts (height, weight)
Birth Name: Earl Joseph “JR” Smith III
Place of birth: Freehold Terminal, New Jersey
Date of birth: September 9, 1985
Nationality: American
Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight: 225 lbs (102 kg)
Civil status: Married
Net worth: $20 million
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