JR Smith is an American Basketball player who remarkably started playing basketball in High School for his hometown, Freehold Borough, New Jersey. Despite having aspirations to play for the University of North Carolina, his goals were cut short….when he was drafted to the NBA directly out of High School in the 2004 draft.
The New Orleans Hornets sponsored Smith for two years before he was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2006. Smith played pretty well for his first couple years in the league, earning respect from fans and players alike. In 2011, he played pro ball in Asia for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls and then transferred back to the US to play for the New York Knicks in 2013. He currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, however, and has recently immortalized himself in the meme/sports flops hall of fame when mistakenly stalled out in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA finals.
J.R. Smith Net Worth In 2018: 20 Million Dollars
J.R. Smith’s salary is estimated to be $6.5 Million while his net worth is reportedly $20 million. Let’s take a look back at Smith’s Basketball career.
Early Life
J.R. Smith is originally from the Clarksburg section of Millstone Township, New Jersey. He attended several schools in the district including Steinert High School and McCorristen Catholic High School before her transferred to Lakewood High School. Lakewood High School was where Smith would play basketball for the first time. He then transferred to Saint Benedicts Preparatory school where he averaged 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. In 2003, J.R. signed a letter of intent to play basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Then, in April 2004, Smith performed exceptionally well at the McDonalds All American game and declared himself eligible for the NBA draft. He was drafted 18th overall in the first round by the New Orleans Hornets. He was one of nine players drafted out of High School that year.
2004 – 2006
In his first season with the New Orleans Hornets, Smith played decently well, averaging about 10 points per game. He finished 3rd in the Sprite Dunk Contest that year behind Amare Stoudemire and winner Josh Smith. The Hornets failed to make the playoffs that year after having a convincingly negative record for most of the season. Smith, however, was named rookie of the month 3 consecutive times in 2005.
His first seasons were characterized by respectable play, not superstardom.
2006 – 2011
Smith was traded twice in 2006, first to the Chicago Bulls, then to the Denver Nuggets. He played averagely well with the Nuggets and maintained his expected potential. The 2006 – 2007 season marked Smiths first Playoffs appearance, where he did not play particularly well and was criticized for poor in-game decision making by coach George Karl. That was probably an apt assertation considering recent events…
In 2008, Smith was selected to help the Senior USA Basketball team prepare for the Olympics.
In 2009, Smith made 11 three-point shots in a single game, nearly tying the NBA record of 12.
He finished the 2009 – 2010 season with the second most three-pointers in the league.
In 2011, Smith did not secure an opt-out clause during the 2011 NBA lockout and consequently decided to play professionally in China for one year with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls, where he scored a career high of 60 points (including 14 three-pointers in 18 attempts).
2012 – Present
Smith returned to the NBA in 2012 to play for the New York Knicks, where he again performed decently well, averaging about 12 points per game. In 2013, he was awarded the Sixth Man Of The Year Award after averaging nearly 20 points per game.
In April of that same year, he was suspended for elbowing Jason Terry in the Chin. He then got suspended again for illicit drug use, and then again a year later for unsportsmanlike conduct – he was attempting to untie the shoelaces of his opponents and was fined 50,000 K.
In 2015 Smith was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers and won a Championship in the 2015 – 2016 season.
In 2016, Smith signed a 4-year $57 Million contract so this post will be obsolete in two years.