Getty J.R. Smith has been linked to numerous celebrities before he settled down and married his wife Jewel Harris, including Rihanna, K. Michelle and Solange Knowles.
J.R. Smith has been married to Jewel “Shirley” Harris since 2016. The couple has three children and have been dating since 2013. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard has been linked to well-known artists such as Rihanna and K. Michelle long before he was with his wife.
Here’s what you need to know about Smith’s dating history:
1. Smith Briefly Dated Solange Knowles Back in 2007
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 07: Solange Knowles attends the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Smith has been linked to Solange Knowles, the Grammy Award-winning R&B singer-songwriter and the younger sister of performer Beyoncé. The pair were spotted attending the Boost Mobile and Magic Johnson 8 Ball Challenge celebrity pool tournament at the Wynn hotel in Vegas in February, 2007. The two briefly dated from January 2007 to March of the same year, but separated shortly after they started dating.
According to her biography, Solange “was only 13 years old and still wearing braces on her teeth when she performed as a backup dancer on tour with Destiny’s Child. She first sang professionally on their 2001 holiday album, 8 Days of Christmas.”
She quickly rose to fame and ducked out of her sister’s shadow, in both the music and fashion industries. Aside from releasing her own albums, she wrote music for sister Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child. She is now married to video director Alan Ferguson.
2. Smith Dated Tattooed Model Britanie Girard for Two Years
Smith started dating Britanie Girard back in 2011, while he was still playing for the Denver Nuggets. Girard is from LA and worked at a tattoo and piercing shop in Queens, New York. She calls herself a “model, exotic body piercer, brand representative, and event hostess,” according to Larry Brown Sports. She has said in an interview that she has over 300 tattoos and her goal is to have a full body suit.
Girard was allegedly banned from Smith’s games at one point during their two-year relationship, according to Fabwags.
Smith was also connected with actress Tahiry Jose and Victoria’s Secret model Chanel Iman Robinson, professionally known as Chanel Iman, shortly after his relationship with Girard ended.
3. Smith Dated Pop Superstar Rihanna in 2012 Before The Relationship Turned Sour
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 07: Rihanna attends the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
In Touch Weekly reported in 2012 that R&B star Rihanna was getting “awfully flirtatious” with Smith at Veranda nightclub in New York City on May 6th of that year.
Here is what a source told the magazine:
They were very flirty in the club all night and holding hands. She was sitting on his lap and was really into him. He is the team’s most controversial player, so it’s no wonder that Rihanna likes him
According to Sports Illustrated, Smith and Rihanna “hooked up” while Smith was still playing for the New York Knicks. They were seen showing “some serious PDA” at nightclubs in New York and Miami, but the relationship between the two soured at some point during the year.
When Smith struggled during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last year, she posted on Instagram that “his a– be hung over from clubbing every night during playoffs,” a comment that went viral. Smith fired back with his own Instagram post mocking Rihanna and Miami Heat fans.
4. K. Michelle Says Smith Isn’t a Good Guy and Has “Mental Issues”
LOUISVILLE, KY – MAY 07: Singer K. Michelle attends the 142nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 07, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Churchill Downs)
According to Who’s Dated Who, K. Michelle and Smith dated from August to December, 2012. K. Michelle, whose real name is Kimberly Michelle Pate, dated Smith for just a few short months but has plenty to say about him. In an interview with Baller Alert, K. Michelle talks about how she felt dating Smith and the issues she dealt with when the two were together.
“J.R. isn’t a good guy, though. He started off a good guy but it was me,” she told Baller Alert. “I tried to push him away. J.R. has his own mental issues and he started to take advantage of my kindness because you know, when a man knows he got you and you’re fighting for him, that’s when they clown. [After the radio interviews] he was like, ‘I got her and I’ma do this,’ and it was a little bit too much. And so what I don’t like about J.R. now is that, he can be in the same room with me and he’ll tell other players and stuff, ‘Oh my god, I gotta move because she’s going to be tryna bother me.’ Boy, don’t nobody want you! And the players you’re telling are actually really close to me so they’re laughing at you J.R. I don’t want you. Your girlfriend, whatever she is, please, she don’t have to call me no more!!!”
5. Smith is Now Married to Jewel Smith Since 2016; He Calls His Wife The Love of His Life
J.R. Smith proposed to wife Jewel Harris, now Smith, in August 2015, and the wedding took place in August 2016. The two had dated in the past but got back together 2015, according to NBPA.
“Ever since I got back with my wife, Jewel, last year and proposed to her in August, things started going uphill slowly but surely,” J.R. Smith told NBPA in 2016.
Smith and Harris were already raising two children by the time they got married, and Smith decided to recruit his daughter Demi to help him propose to Harris.
Smith posted a video on his Instagram account, showing Demi presenting the engagement ring to Harris, saying, “Mommy, will you marry us?”
The happy couple has three daughters – Demi, Peyton and Dakota. Dakota, their youngest, gave the couple a big scare after she decided to enter the world five months early at 22 weeks.