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Two-time NBA champion JR Smith has had a successful 16-year career in the competition. But he won't be celebrating his 36th birthday preparing for the next league season to commence. Instead, he'll do so as a student at North Carolina A&T. Smith recently enrolled at the college to pursue a degree in liberal studies while playing golf in the upcoming NCAA season.
Going by his tweets, which chronicle his college journey so far, it would appear that JR Smith is taking his time in academics pretty seriously. That is something that cannot always be said for his NBA career. That's because as a player, he has consistently picked up fines in the league and disappointing the fanbases of teams he has played for.
Despite being a sixth man or rotation player for most of his career, JR Smith could still retire from the NBA as a two-time championship winner. That is something not a lot of stars can lay a claim to. The shooting guard ended his time in the league after averaging 12.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and a steal per game while shooting at 37% from the deep.
However, it was often JR Smith's antics on and off the court that caught the attention of the media rather than his statlines. On that note, here's a look at five such instances.
#1 Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals
No moment in JR Smith's NBA career is more memorable than his gaffe in game one of the 2018 Finals.
With the contest tied at 107 points apiece, Smith ripped down a rebound from a missed George Hill free-throw before dribbling the ball out to the three-point line. Thinking the game was already won while not realizing the score, it wasn't until LeBron James yelled at Smith that he passed the ball to Hill in the corner. Smothered by defenders, his shot was blocked.
The game went into overtime, and the Golden State Warriors won by ten points.
Ever since that moment, Smith has the butt of jokes for his spectacular blunder. Twitter exploded after his mistake, picking up on LeBron James' confusion and frustration at his teammate.
#2 Smith allows a wide-open dunk by greeting Jason Terry
JR Smith and Jason Terry have had some famous battles throughout their NBA careers. But they appeared to be good friends off the court when Smith dapped up the latter during a game. While that wasn't newsworthy, the fact that Smith was meant to be playing at the time and Terry was on the bench made it hilarious.
The Cavs guard didn't realize that play had resumed following a timeout, leaving his opponent Tony Snell wide open to cut to the basket and score an easy two points.
Following the game, Smith claimed he didn't know he was even in the game at the time.
#3 'Shirtless JR Smith'
When JR Smith won his first NBA title with the Cleveland Cavaliers, an iconic image was born - 'shirtless JR'.
Over the summer of 2016 during the Cavs' trophy tour, during the team's parties in Las Vegas and when interacting with fans, Smith had his top off. The joke took on new meaning when he started selling t-shirts with his torso on them, and President Barack Obama had to publicly request Smith to wear a shirt to the White House.
Despite only being a bit-part player in his second Championship run with the LA Lakers, JR was not going to allow that to get in the way of his celebrations. Even before the Lakers saw out game six against the Miami Heat, Smith already had his top off on the sidelines. He came sprinting onto the court when the final buzzer sounded, to celebrate with LeBron James and other teammates.
#4 Earning a $50K fine for untying opponents' shoelaces
JR Smith's tenure with the New York Knicks was arguably his best period in the NBA. He won the Sixth Man of the Year award in the 2012-13 season after averaging 18 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, helping them to the second round of the playoffs.
However, in the next campaign, Smith grabbed the headlines for another reason and one far more amusing for NBA fans. He was fined $50,000 by the league for consistently trying to untie opponents' shoelaces at the free-throw line.
Smith was successful in doing so to Dallas Mavericks star Shawn Marion. He attempted to do the same in his next game against Greg Monroe of the Detroit Pistons too.
The NBA acted upon the 'infraction'. Had they not done so, Smith claimed he would have kept untying shoelaces because he liked to have fun on the court.
#5 Soup-tossing ban
JR Smith received a lot of fines and bans throughout his career in the NBA. In 2018, he was involved in an altercation with Cavaliers' assistant coach Damon Jones, which makes up one of the craziest stories during his time in the league.
Smith reportedly threw soup at Jones after a team shootaround. That led him to be suspended by the franchise after their loss against the Philadelphia 76ers. Neither the Cavs nor the shooting guard spoke publicly about the incident. Sources close to the camp at the time confirmed the story to the media, though.
Although he played 80 games during the 2017-18 NBA season, JR Smith had one of his worst campaigns. He averaged a dismal 8.3 points and 2.9 rebounds on 28 minutes per game.
