“Name of one them that’s better than me” LeBron James’ ex-teammate claims he and 4 other players were blackballed by the league
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J. R. Smith baffled at the league
JR Smith has been in the league for 16 seasons and abruptly retired as from the league following his title-winning run with the Lakers. He was an important, experienced player on the 2020 Champion’s roster, but spent only 1 season and opted to retire from the active status. Smith still feels that he has been sidelined by the league despite having enough to offer.
Just like Smith, there are many NBA veterans that were forced into retirement, not by choice but because the league started looking past them. In a recent interview with ComplexSports, JR Smith revealed his views on the same and also mentioned some of the stars who were quickly forgotten. Responding to a question where he was specifically asked whether he had been blackballed by the league, Smith replied, “Yeah, a 100 percent. Anybody can sit here and tell you that that’s a fact. You got those 30 teams, or the top three people on each 30 team and exclude them.
“Give me the four through 15th men, just the four through 15. Name one of them that’s better than me, but I’m sitting here like bro, like, I’ve worked out with these dudes.”
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JR Smith was certainly a very important piece in his franchises, either coming off the bench or even in the death-situations. Smith explained the sad truth as he added, “I’ve watched their GM come up to me and ask me, ‘Why are you not playing?’ You know why I’m not playing.”
This thing is not new for NBA fans as there is massive emerging talent in the league and also many coming in with their skill sets. The NBA has only a limited number of roster spots to offer the best players in the entire world.
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JR Smith proved vital player during his NBA career.
Playing at the shooting guard position J. R. smith made very useful contributions to his teams. He played professional basketball for 16 seasons and in 5 different NBA franchises. After being drafted by the Hornets in 2004, he formed a powerful team with Carmelo Anthony at Denver Nuggets. A dependable 10+ points scorer could easily change the course of the game with his long-range shooting.
Sadly after failing to live up to championship contention with the Nuggets, he played in the Chinese league for 1 season, but his return to the NBA with the Knicks seemed to have changed his fortune again, He fared well with the Knicks, and even went on to score 20+ points on many occasions. He even won the 6th man of the year award, while playing for the Knicks.
But he won his 1st NBA title in his 13th season when LeBron James and the Cavaliers overcame 1-3 deficits and won the 2016 NBA title. Similarly, he was part of another LeBron’s NBA title while playing with the Lakers in 2020.
But after that, failing to land any constructive contract, Smith decided to hang his shoes. We can also see it with many iconic 2000s basketball players still trying to stay on a team and failing.
Reacting to the situation, J. R. Smith also added, “And I feel like it’s a whole genre that that happened to. The Joe Johnsons who obviously still got game, still can play. Jamal Crawford, still got game, still can play. Nick Young, still got game, still can play. Isaiah Thomas, still got game, still can play.”
J.R. Smith’s claims couldn’t be neglected. It’s sad to see players like him; Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford, Isaiah Thomas, and Nick Young don’t get contracts because they’ve been blackballed from the league. But the league is looking to extend its reach and expand in near future, which might soften the blow for some players.
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)