Two-time NBA champion JR Smith was arrested Monday in Texas on a charge of family violence assault causing bodily injury, according to Hunt County jail records.
TMZ reported that Smith was pulled over “after an automatic license plate reader flagged the vehicle he was driving and alerted officers to an active warrant.”
He was then taken into custody and booked into the Hunt Country Detention Center. No additional details about the arrest were available at the time.
Smith entered the NBA straight out of high school in 2004 and finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2005. He found his stride over five seasons with the Nuggets and spent much of his 16-year career as a scoring spark off the bench. He finished in the top five of Sixth Man of the Year voting three times, winning the award with the Knicks in 2013.
His career also included championships with LeBron James and the Cavaliers in 2016 and the Lakers in 2020.
Smith’s career produced plenty of memorable moments, but the one that lingers most came in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. With the game tied late, Smith grabbed George Hill’s missed free throw and, instead of taking a potential game-winning shot, dribbled the ball back out near half court because he believed the Cavs were ahead by one. The game went to overtime, Cleveland lost, and the Warriors completed the sweep.
After basketball, Smith enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University and joined the golf team as a 35-year-old freshman. Over four years with the Aggies, he played in seven collegiate tournaments and excelled in the classroom. He posted a 4.0 GPA in his first college semester and was named the school’s Academic Athlete of the Year in 2022.
In Other News...
Craig Porter Jr. Faces A Cavs Question Defense Alone Wont Answer
Craig Porter Jr. is back in the mix for Cleveland entering his fourth season, and the backup point guard job is one of the more interesting camp battles around the roster. Porter has already built a reputation as a disruptive defender and a strong rebounder for his position, which gives him a clear lane in the conversation. But with the Cavaliers looking to fill that reserve role, his case is tied just as much to whether his offense can keep pace as it is to the edge he brings on the other end.
Tyrese Proctor and Meleek Thomas are also in the picture, which makes this a real competition rather than a courtesy nod to experience. For Porter, the challenge is familiar: defense can get him on the floor, but Cleveland needs a backup guard who can steady the offense too, and that part of his game still has room to grow. How he handles that balance will go a long way toward deciding whether he claims the opening. [Read more 🡒]
Former Cavs Champion Brings An Uncomfortable Update Fans Didn't Expect
JR Smith, one of the more recognizable names from the Cavaliers 2016 championship run, is back in the news for a far less celebratory reason. Hunt County jail records show the former guard was arrested in Texas on a charge of family violence assault causing bodily injury, an unwelcome update for a player many Cleveland fans still remember from the franchises biggest moment.
According to the records, Smith was pulled over after an automatic license plate reader flagged his vehicle because of an active warrant, and he was then booked at the Hunt County Detention Center. Smith, a two-time NBA champion who later enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University as a collegiate golfer, has long been in the public eye for life beyond basketball, but this latest development leaves a very different kind of question hanging over his post-playing career. [Read more 🡒]
Dean Wade Just Gave Cavs Fans A New Reason To React
Dean Wades move to Philadelphia gives Cavaliers fans a familiar face to watch from a different angle this season. After spending his first seven NBA seasons in Cleveland, Wade signed with the 76ers and now finds himself on a roster built with a clear title pursuit in mind. For a player who carved out his role with length, versatility and steadiness, the shift comes with a different kind of pressure and a different set of expectations.
In an interview, Wade said he joined the Sixers to compete for a championship, a familiar line in a new uniform but one that still matters when it comes from a player with his background. Philadelphia expects him to be more than just a depth piece, with a chance to factor as a versatile defender and a useful bench contributor. For Cavs fans, it is another reminder of how much value Wade developed in Cleveland, and why his next chapter could end up being watched closely back home. [Read more 🡒]