The NBA slapped JR Smith with a hilarious $50,000 fine last season, after he wouldn’t stop untying his opponents’ shoelaces.
If he didn’t care about the money, Smith says he would continue with the stunt. (New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher is absolutely going to love working with Smith.) Per Bleacher Report:
What do you think is the biggest misconception about you? JRS: “People think I’m just some wild child, that I’m just somebody that bugs out all the time and doesn’t care. That’s the main thing that pisses me off the most. People who actually take the time to come [to my golf tournament] and get to know me, they know what I’m about. But some people don’t really care to come.”
Do you think that stems from your occasional antics, like when you got fined last season for untying your opponents’ shoelaces? JRS: “I do care about the fines because it’s loss of money, but other than that, I like to have fun. I would do [the shoelace thing] again if there wasn’t a fine. But now that I’m in my 10th year in the NBA, I take the game more seriously than I did my first five, six years.”
I have to ask the age-old question: Do you want to start or come off the bench next season? JRS: “At this point, it is what it is. Whether I come off the bench or start, I’m going to get my minutes. I can’t wait until training camp—to get to know all the coaches and Phil [Jackson], and their point of view and what’s their plan. That’s the thing I’m most excited about.”
