J.R. Smith talks LeBron James, the infamous 2018 NBA Finals, and free agency with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the “All The Smoke” podcast

A journeyman in the NBA, JR Smith began his career playing for the New Orleans Hornets. After a few short years there, Smith was traded to the Denver Nuggets. Actually, JR was a key piece of that 2009 team, led by Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups.

Ten years later, sports fans forget that Kobe Bryant’s 65-17 Lakers fell behind 2-1 to the Nuggets, in the 2009 Western Conference Finals. It was all downhill, from there, for the trio. In 2011, the trio of Melo, JR, and Chauncey were traded to the Knicks.

Eventually, that Knicks team continued to disappoint and Chauncey retired. The new team, which consisted of JR Smith was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where they were paired with LeBron James. That same lineup, basically replacing Melo with LeBron, won the 2016 championship.

JR Smith, however, is best-known for his moment at the end of Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. Every chance to win was blown, despite LeBron’s 51 points, as the Warriors swept the Cavaliers. A year later, JR Smith spoke with the “All The Smoke” podcast, with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, where he discussed LeBron, the 2018 Finals, and still being a free agent.