As far as offseason stories go, J.R. Smith of the Los Angeles Lakers gave us one of the more hilarious ones we’ve seen and it all just stemmed from a moment of honest on a recent podcast. Last week, Smith was a guest on the CBS podcast All Things Covered, where he revealed that his former Cavaliers teammate Sam Dekker is the ‘only’ former teammate that he didn’t like. The reason?
When Dekker was on the Cavaliers with Smith for a brief time before Smith and the team decided it was time to part ways, Smith says that Dekker was talking some ‘Trump s***,’ that he didn’t agree with, as transcribed by Dan Feldman of NBC’s Pro Basketball Talk.
Throughout my whole career, it’s only one teammate I really don’t like. And he know that. And everybody else, I’m just cool with.
This dude Sam Dekker, dog. I can’t – this dude. He did some bulls— on the bus one day, talking some Trump s—, and I just wasn’t having it.
For what the question he asked, it’s a thought pattern. You’re taught that. It’s not like – it’s the hate you give. And I feel like it’s something you’re taught. It’s not – the privilege he has was taught to him, and he took heed of it and run with it even further than somebody who was not – who was oblivious to what they have and what the life they lived. Because some people just go through their life – not not necessarily knowing, but not aware and privy to somebody else’s circumstances. He’s a person who’s just very aware of somebody else’s circumstances and want to keep them there, as opposed to try to help him elevate up. And I don’t respect anything about that
After that happened, Dekker’s wife, Olivia Harlan Dekker, tried to invalidate what Smith said. Smith, of course, responded. Smith, according to Jared Dudley, was often leading conversations about politics and current events, is very vocal about politics on social media. He and LeBron James campaigned for Hillary Clinton during the last election.
Would you like to explain why your husband can’t say NI&&@R or should I? I don’t mind at all. https://t.co/bgEZEUE3pm
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) October 27, 2020
Motive? No motive just call it how it’s displayed. An for the record i never said he “used” just tell him why he can’t! https://t.co/ZliSOdZAbX
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) October 27, 2020
Dekker is currently playing for Turk Telekom of the Turkish league and he did not play in the NBA during the 2019-20 season.
