J.R. Smith
Encyclopedia
Earl Smith III, known as J. R. Smith (born September 9, 1985, in Freehold, New Jersey
), is an American professional basketball
player who plays for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in China. Before signing in China, he had played with the Denver Nuggets
and the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association
(NBA).
and McCorriston High School before transferring to Lakewood High School
. Smith played high school basketball for the first time at Lakewood High School. He would later transfer to Saint Benedict's Preparatory School
and play basketball there as well. During his career there, he would average over 27 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. In the fall of 2003, Smith signed a letter of intent to play at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
.
. He was selected eighteenth overall in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft
by the New Orleans Hornets—one of nine players who were drafted that year straight out of high school. In his rookie season, he averaged 10.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
Smith participated in the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Competition in 2005, finishing behind Amar'e Stoudemire and the eventual winner, Josh Smith
.
On July 13, 2006, the Hornets formally traded Smith and forward–center P.J. Brown to the Chicago Bulls
for center
Tyson Chandler
. On July 19, 2006, Smith was traded again, this time to the Denver Nuggets
for guard Howard Eisley
and two 2007 second-round draft
picks.
On December 16, 2006, Smith was involved in the Knicks–Nuggets brawl. He was suspended for 10 games.
On February 20, 2007, Smith injured his left knee which required knee surgery. He missed 3–4 weeks.
On October 13, 2007, Smith was involved in an incident at a Denver nightclub. The Nuggets suspended him for the first three regular season games of the NBA 2007-2008 season for his role in the incident.
On July 25, 2008, Smith was added to the Team USA Basketball select team to help the senior team prepare for the Olympics.
On February 10, 2009, Smith was chosen to replace the injured Rudy Gay
in the 2009 Slam Dunk Contest.
On April 13, 2009, Smith scored a career-high 45 points on 13-of-22 shooting, as part of a 118-98 home win over the Sacramento Kings
. He made a franchise-record 11 three-pointers during the game, which was one shy of tying the NBA record.
For the 2009-10 season, Smith and teammate Chauncey Billups
agreed to change jersey numbers. Smith changed to the No. 5 jersey, in order to accommodate Billups' request to wear No. 1, the same number Billups wore with the Detroit Pistons
. On December 23, Smith scored 41 points against the Atlanta Hawks
which included 10 three-pointers, one shy of his record. Smith shot 10-of-17 from 3-point range.
He finished the 2009-10 season with the second most three-pointers in the league off the bench.
. After game four, Karl informed reporters of his plan to bench Smith for all of game 5. Karl said, "He's done," and explained his frustrations over Smith's poor judgment to shoot a three late in the game, "I have no idea what planet that came from." Karl told the Associated Press
that he had drawn up the play to give the ball to either Allen Iverson
or Carmelo Anthony
. Karl did not stop there and continued venting over Smith's poor play, "And then, of course the one with eight seconds to go, from 50 feet, I just love the dignity of the game being insulted right in front of me."
Smith had a better showing in his second trip to the playoffs during a first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers
. He played 27.0 minutes, averaging 18.3 points per game on 53.5% shooting. He also had a 31.8% three-point shooting percentage. Although the Nuggets were swept in the first round, Lakers shooting guard
Kobe Bryant
said in a postgame interview that, "J. R. is a good young player. He was a lot to handle."
On his third trip to the playoffs, Smith averaged 14.9 points per game on 45.4% shooting, providing scoring off the bench. He helped the Nuggets make the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Lakers.
, Smith signed with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in the Chinese Basketball Association
(CBA).
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | New Orleans
| 76 || 56 || 24.5 || .394 || .288 || .689 || 2.0 || 1.9 || .7 || .1 || 10.3
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | NO/Oklahoma City
| 55 || 25 || 18.0 || .393 || .371 || .822 || 2.0 || 1.1 || .7 || .1 || 7.7
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Denver
| 63 || 24 || 23.3 || .441 || .390 || .810 || 2.3 || 1.4 || .8 || .1 || 13.0
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Denver
| 74 || 0 || 19.2 || .461 || .403 || .719 || 2.1 || 1.7 || .8 || .2 || 12.3
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
| align="left" | Denver
| 81 || 18 || 27.7 || .446 || .397 || .754 || 3.7 || 2.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 15.2
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Denver
| 75 || 0 || 27.8 || .414 || .338 || .706 || 3.1 || 2.4 || 1.3 || .3 || 15.4
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Denver
| 79 || 6 || 24.9 || .435 || .390 || .738 || 4.1 || 2.2 || 1.2 || .2 || 12.3
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 503 || 129 || 23.9 || .428 || .371 || .741 || 2.8 || 2.0 || .9 || .2 || 12.5
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Denver
| 4 || 0 || 11.8 || .273 || .000 || 1.000 || 2.3 || .5 || 1.0 || .2 || 4.5
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Denver
| 4 || 0 || 27.0 || .535 || .318 || .833 || 1.8 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .0 || 18.3
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
| align="left" | Denver
| 16 || 0 || 27.2 || .454 || .358 || .543 || 3.3 || 2.8 || 1.1 || .2 || 14.9
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Denver
| 6 || 0 || 26.5 || .368 || .355 || .875 || 3.8 || 1.7 || .7 || .3 || 11.2
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Denver
| 5 || 0 || 15.2 || .356 || .429 || .727 || 2.0 || 1.0 || .4 || .0 || 9.8
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 35 || 0 || 23.6 || .427 || .339 || .709 || 2.9 || 2.0 || .9 || .2 || 12.7
were involved in a car accident. Neither player was injured in the collision. The only detail released by the team was that the car J. R. was driving belonged to Anthony.
On June 9, 2007, Smith and two passengers were injured in a car accident on Stagecoach Road in Millstone Township
, New Jersey
, when the SUV
he was driving collided with another car. Smith and a passenger, Andre Bell, were ejected from the vehicle at around 5:30 p.m. Smith's vehicle appeared to have gone through a stop sign
and collided with the other car. Smith was taken to Jersey Shore University Hospital. Bell suffered serious head wounds before being pronounced dead on the night of June 11. Neither Smith nor the second passenger suffered life-threatening injuries. Smith and Bell were not wearing seatbelts at the time. In October 2008, a grand jury in Monmouth County
, New Jersey declined to indict Smith on a vehicular manslaughter charge stemming from the accident.
On June 30, 2009, Smith pled guilty to the June 2007 accident. Smith was initially sentenced to 90 days in a Monmouth County (N.J.) jail, but 60 of those days were suspended, on the condition that he completes 500 hours of community service.
On July 31, 2009, the Denver Post
reported that Smith was released from jail after serving only 24 days of his sentence.
On August 28, 2009, Smith was suspended 7 games for the 2009-2010 NBA season because of his guilty plea in the 2007 reckless driving incident. The NBA also cited his poor driving record as grounds for the suspension. Smith's driving record included five suspensions in eight months, but was "in good standing" at the time of the crash in New Jersey. He was required to pay restoration fees and fines. Smith totaled 27 points against his record from April 2005 to January 2006, including eight violations on seven different days. Five citations were for speeding. Since the accident, he has received two more speeding tickets and three license suspensions in New Jersey.
On August 5, 2009 Smith closed his twitter account (jr_smith1) because he was accused of writing in a way that reflected the Bloods gang, specifically replacing his c's with k's.
Smith has a younger brother named Chris who is currently a starter for the University of Louisville. They regularly practice together, especially over the summer.
Freehold Borough, New Jersey
Freehold is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 12,052. It is the county seat of Monmouth County....
), is an American professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who plays for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in China. Before signing in China, he had played with the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
and the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA).
High school
Before attending high school, Smith attended Millstone Middle School and graduated in 1999. From there, he moved on to Steinert High SchoolSteinert High School
Steinert High School is a four- year comprehensive public high school, one of three secondary high schools that are part of the Hamilton Township School District, located in Hamilton Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States...
and McCorriston High School before transferring to Lakewood High School
Lakewood High School (New Jersey)
Lakewood High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Lakewood Township, Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Lakewood School District....
. Smith played high school basketball for the first time at Lakewood High School. He would later transfer to Saint Benedict's Preparatory School
Saint Benedict's Preparatory School
Saint Benedict's Preparatory School is a college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey, United States. It is an all-boys, secondary school located on a urban campus serving students in the seventh through twelfth grades...
and play basketball there as well. During his career there, he would average over 27 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. In the fall of 2003, Smith signed a letter of intent to play at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
.
NBA
In April 2004, following a surprisingly strong showing at the McDonald's All-American Game (in which he was named game MVP), Smith decided to forgo college and make himself eligible for the NBA DraftNBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...
. He was selected eighteenth overall in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft
2004 NBA Draft
The 2004 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2004 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm . In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible...
by the New Orleans Hornets—one of nine players who were drafted that year straight out of high school. In his rookie season, he averaged 10.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
Smith participated in the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Competition in 2005, finishing behind Amar'e Stoudemire and the eventual winner, Josh Smith
Josh Smith
Josh Smith is an American professional basketball player with the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. Josh is one of five kids born to Paulette and Pete Smith. His siblings are Walter, Phebe, Kasola and Shanti. His popular nickname is "J-Smoove".Smith attended John McEachern High School. For his senior...
.
On July 13, 2006, the Hornets formally traded Smith and forward–center P.J. Brown to the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
for center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
Tyson Chandler
Tyson Chandler
Tyson Cleotis Chandler is an American professional basketball center who most recently played for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. He was also a member of the United States men's national basketball team.-High school:...
. On July 19, 2006, Smith was traded again, this time to the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
for guard Howard Eisley
Howard Eisley
Howard Jonathan Eisley is a retired American professional basketball point guard and current assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association . Born in Detroit, Eisley played college basketball at Boston College and was drafted in 1994 by the Minnesota Timberwolves...
and two 2007 second-round draft
2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
picks.
On December 16, 2006, Smith was involved in the Knicks–Nuggets brawl. He was suspended for 10 games.
On February 20, 2007, Smith injured his left knee which required knee surgery. He missed 3–4 weeks.
On October 13, 2007, Smith was involved in an incident at a Denver nightclub. The Nuggets suspended him for the first three regular season games of the NBA 2007-2008 season for his role in the incident.
On July 25, 2008, Smith was added to the Team USA Basketball select team to help the senior team prepare for the Olympics.
On February 10, 2009, Smith was chosen to replace the injured Rudy Gay
Rudy Gay
Rudy Carlton Gay, Jr. is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Memphis Grizzlies...
in the 2009 Slam Dunk Contest.
On April 13, 2009, Smith scored a career-high 45 points on 13-of-22 shooting, as part of a 118-98 home win over the Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. He made a franchise-record 11 three-pointers during the game, which was one shy of tying the NBA record.
For the 2009-10 season, Smith and teammate Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball point guard for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association . He has also played for Team USA. Billups won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004, helping the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, and was given the...
agreed to change jersey numbers. Smith changed to the No. 5 jersey, in order to accommodate Billups' request to wear No. 1, the same number Billups wore with the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
. On December 23, Smith scored 41 points against the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
which included 10 three-pointers, one shy of his record. Smith shot 10-of-17 from 3-point range.
He finished the 2009-10 season with the second most three-pointers in the league off the bench.
NBA playoffs
Smith's first trip to the playoffs during the 2006-2007 season with the Denver Nuggets proved disappointing. Smith, a 39% 3-point shooter during the regular season, failed to connect on any three-point shots in the first four games and also was criticized for poor decision-making by coach George KarlGeorge Karl
George Matthew Karl is a former National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association player. He is the current head coach of the Denver Nuggets. On December 10, 2010 he became the seventh coach in NBA history to record 1,000 wins.-Biography:Karl was born in Penn Hills,...
. After game four, Karl informed reporters of his plan to bench Smith for all of game 5. Karl said, "He's done," and explained his frustrations over Smith's poor judgment to shoot a three late in the game, "I have no idea what planet that came from." Karl told the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
that he had drawn up the play to give the ball to either Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson
Allen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball point guard and shooting guard. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season...
or Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kiyan Anthony , nicknamed "Melo", is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association...
. Karl did not stop there and continued venting over Smith's poor play, "And then, of course the one with eight seconds to go, from 50 feet, I just love the dignity of the game being insulted right in front of me."
Smith had a better showing in his second trip to the playoffs during a first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. He played 27.0 minutes, averaging 18.3 points per game on 53.5% shooting. He also had a 31.8% three-point shooting percentage. Although the Nuggets were swept in the first round, Lakers shooting guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
said in a postgame interview that, "J. R. is a good young player. He was a lot to handle."
On his third trip to the playoffs, Smith averaged 14.9 points per game on 45.4% shooting, providing scoring off the bench. He helped the Nuggets make the Western Conference Finals before losing to the Lakers.
NBA career transactions
- June 24, 2004: Drafted 18th overall by New Orleans Hornets in 2004 NBA Draft2004 NBA DraftThe 2004 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2004 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm . In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible...
. - July 14, 2006: Traded by New Orleans along with P. J. BrownP. J. BrownCollier Brown, Jr. , commonly referred to as P. J. Brown, is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association...
to the Chicago BullsChicago BullsThe Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
for Tyson ChandlerTyson ChandlerTyson Cleotis Chandler is an American professional basketball center who most recently played for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. He was also a member of the United States men's national basketball team.-High school:...
. - July 20, 2006: Traded by Chicago to the Denver NuggetsDenver NuggetsThe Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
for Howard EisleyHoward EisleyHoward Jonathan Eisley is a retired American professional basketball point guard and current assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association . Born in Detroit, Eisley played college basketball at Boston College and was drafted in 1994 by the Minnesota Timberwolves...
and two future second-round draft picks.
China
During the 2011 NBA lockout2011 NBA lockout
The 2011 NBA lockout is the fourth lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association . The owners began the work stoppage at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2011. The main issues dividing the owners and the players are revenue sharing and the structure of the salary cap...
, Smith signed with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in the Chinese Basketball Association
Chinese Basketball Association
The Chinese Basketball Association , often abbreviated to the CBA, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in China.The league is commonly known as the CBA, and this acronym is often used even in Chinese...
(CBA).
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | New Orleans
| 76 || 56 || 24.5 || .394 || .288 || .689 || 2.0 || 1.9 || .7 || .1 || 10.3
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | NO/Oklahoma City
| 55 || 25 || 18.0 || .393 || .371 || .822 || 2.0 || 1.1 || .7 || .1 || 7.7
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Denver
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
| 63 || 24 || 23.3 || .441 || .390 || .810 || 2.3 || 1.4 || .8 || .1 || 13.0
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Denver
| 74 || 0 || 19.2 || .461 || .403 || .719 || 2.1 || 1.7 || .8 || .2 || 12.3
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
| align="left" | Denver
| 81 || 18 || 27.7 || .446 || .397 || .754 || 3.7 || 2.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 15.2
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| align="left" | Denver
| 75 || 0 || 27.8 || .414 || .338 || .706 || 3.1 || 2.4 || 1.3 || .3 || 15.4
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Denver
| 79 || 6 || 24.9 || .435 || .390 || .738 || 4.1 || 2.2 || 1.2 || .2 || 12.3
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 503 || 129 || 23.9 || .428 || .371 || .741 || 2.8 || 2.0 || .9 || .2 || 12.5
Playoffs
|-| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Denver
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
| 4 || 0 || 11.8 || .273 || .000 || 1.000 || 2.3 || .5 || 1.0 || .2 || 4.5
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
| align="left" | Denver
| 4 || 0 || 27.0 || .535 || .318 || .833 || 1.8 || 1.8 || 1.0 || .0 || 18.3
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
2009 NBA Playoffs
The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| align="left" | Denver
| 16 || 0 || 27.2 || .454 || .358 || .543 || 3.3 || 2.8 || 1.1 || .2 || 14.9
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| align="left" | Denver
| 6 || 0 || 26.5 || .368 || .355 || .875 || 3.8 || 1.7 || .7 || .3 || 11.2
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
2011 NBA Playoffs
The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
| align="left" | Denver
| 5 || 0 || 15.2 || .356 || .429 || .727 || 2.0 || 1.0 || .4 || .0 || 9.8
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 35 || 0 || 23.6 || .427 || .339 || .709 || 2.9 || 2.0 || .9 || .2 || 12.7
Off the court
On February 2, 2007, Smith and teammate Carmelo AnthonyCarmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kiyan Anthony , nicknamed "Melo", is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association...
were involved in a car accident. Neither player was injured in the collision. The only detail released by the team was that the car J. R. was driving belonged to Anthony.
On June 9, 2007, Smith and two passengers were injured in a car accident on Stagecoach Road in Millstone Township
Millstone Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 8,970 people, 2,708 households, and 2,426 families residing in the township. The population density was 244.0 people per square mile . There were 2,797 housing units at an average density of 76.1 per square mile...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, when the SUV
Sport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
he was driving collided with another car. Smith and a passenger, Andre Bell, were ejected from the vehicle at around 5:30 p.m. Smith's vehicle appeared to have gone through a stop sign
Stop sign
A Stop sign is a traffic sign to notify drivers that they must stop before proceeding.-Specifications:The Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals proposed standard stop sign diameters of 0.6, 0.9 or 1.2 metres. UK and New Zealand stop signs are 750, 900 or 1200 mm, according to sign...
and collided with the other car. Smith was taken to Jersey Shore University Hospital. Bell suffered serious head wounds before being pronounced dead on the night of June 11. Neither Smith nor the second passenger suffered life-threatening injuries. Smith and Bell were not wearing seatbelts at the time. In October 2008, a grand jury in Monmouth County
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
, New Jersey declined to indict Smith on a vehicular manslaughter charge stemming from the accident.
On June 30, 2009, Smith pled guilty to the June 2007 accident. Smith was initially sentenced to 90 days in a Monmouth County (N.J.) jail, but 60 of those days were suspended, on the condition that he completes 500 hours of community service.
On July 31, 2009, the Denver Post
The Denver Post
-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...
reported that Smith was released from jail after serving only 24 days of his sentence.
On August 28, 2009, Smith was suspended 7 games for the 2009-2010 NBA season because of his guilty plea in the 2007 reckless driving incident. The NBA also cited his poor driving record as grounds for the suspension. Smith's driving record included five suspensions in eight months, but was "in good standing" at the time of the crash in New Jersey. He was required to pay restoration fees and fines. Smith totaled 27 points against his record from April 2005 to January 2006, including eight violations on seven different days. Five citations were for speeding. Since the accident, he has received two more speeding tickets and three license suspensions in New Jersey.
On August 5, 2009 Smith closed his twitter account (jr_smith1) because he was accused of writing in a way that reflected the Bloods gang, specifically replacing his c's with k's.
Smith has a younger brother named Chris who is currently a starter for the University of Louisville. They regularly practice together, especially over the summer.