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J. R. Smith

Smith with the Nuggets
No. 8 – New York Knicks
Shooting guard
Personal information
Born	(1985-09-09) September 9, 1985 (age 26) Freehold, New Jersey
Nationality	American
High school	Lakewood HS (Lakewood Township, New Jersey) St. Benedict's Preparatory School (Newark, New Jersey)
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft	2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18th overall
Selected by the New Orleans Hornets
Pro career	2004–present
Career history
2004–2006	New Orleans Hornets
2006–2011	Denver Nuggets
2011–2012	Zhejiang Golden Bulls (China)
2012–present	New York Knicks
Career highlights and awards
McDonald's All-American Game MVP (2004) NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest Participant (2005, 2009) CBA All-Star (2012)
Stats at NBA.com

Earl Joseph Smith III,^[1] known as J. R. Smith (born September 9, 1985, in Freehold, New Jersey), is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks.

High school[link]

Before attending high school, Smith attended Millstone Middle School and graduated in 1999. From there, he moved on to Steinert High School and McCorristin Catholic High School before transferring to Lakewood High School.^[2] 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.

NBA[link]

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 Draft. 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.^[3] 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.^[4]

On December 16, 2006, Smith was involved in the Knicks–Nuggets brawl. He was suspended for 10 games.^[5]

On February 20, 2007, Smith suffered a torn meniscus in 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.^[6]

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.^[7]

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.^[8] 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.

In 2012, after playing in China due to the lockout, he returned to the NBA and signed with the New York Knicks.

NBA playoffs[link]

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 Karl. 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."^[9]

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.

NBA career transactions[link]

• June 24, 2004: Drafted 18th overall by New Orleans Hornets in 2004 NBA Draft.
• July 14, 2006: Traded by New Orleans along with P. J. Brown to the Chicago Bulls for Tyson Chandler.^[10]
• July 20, 2006: Traded by Chicago to the Denver Nuggets for Howard Eisley and two future second-round draft picks.^[11]
• September 13, 2011: Signed a one year deal with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls.
• February 17, 2012: Signed by the New York Knicks.^[12]

China[link]

During the 2011 NBA lockout, Smith signed with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Because he did not secure an opt-out clause, he could not return to the NBA until the end of the 2011-12 CBA season.^[13][14]

On February 1, 2012, Smith scored an impressive 60 points off the bench during a 122-110 victory over the Qingdao Eagles.^[15] Two days later, he netted 41 points off the bench in a narrow 119-115 triumph over the Shandong Lions.^[16]

During his time with the Golden Bulls, Smith won a Foreign Player of the Week award,^[17] and was selected as a starter for the Southern Division All-Stars in the 2012 CBA All-Star Game, but did not play due to "personal reasons."^[18][19]

Individual accolades notwithstanding, Smith was unable to lead Zhejiang into the 2012 CBA Playoffs, with the squad eliminated from contention as of February 12. But this also cleared a path back to the NBA, and he signed with the Knicks five days later, stepping right into the middle of Linsanity.

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]