Getty JR Smith of the Los Angeles Lakers.
What is perhaps one of the more unlikely storylines of the offseason, it’s looking like a serious beef is brewing between JR Smith and Sam Dekker, who used to play together on the Cleveland Cavaliers. It became a story when Smith, who recently won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers, revealed that Dekker was the only teammate he didn’t like and explained why.
“Oh, man, this dude Sam Dekker, dog,” Smith said on All Things Covered. “I can’t, this dude. He did some bullsh** on the bus one day, talking some [Donald] Trump sh**, and I just wasn’t having it.”
Dekker refuted Smith’s accusations and sent a strong response, via Cavaliers Nation.
Dekker isn’t in the NBA right now so the attack from Smith seems very random. There doesn’t appear to be any evidence that Dekker is a supporter of President Trump but Smith clearly has strong feelings about the forward.
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Dekker’s Wife Gets Into an Argument With Smith
Not happy about the accusations hurled at her husband, Olivia Harlan Dekker clapped back at Smith’s comments.
@DanFeldmanNBA Extremely inaccurate and unfair. Consider the source.
Her comments drew a response from Smith who seemingly made a big accusation about Sam Dekker. Olivia had to refute Smith’s claims again and questioned the veteran’s motives.
@TheRealJRSmith JR… he doesn’t say that word. I’ve never heard him say that word. He’s not a racist or a trump supporter. Simple as that. Not sure what your motive is here
Smith then clarified his comments but didn’t back down.
As of the writing of this, neither Dekker has responded to Smith’s last comments. For whatever reason, there’s clearly a beef brewing between the two sides. Dekker obviously did something that rubbed Smith the wrong way, even if he’s unsure exactly how it happened. This is an ugly situation and it’s not a good look that it’s happening all in front of the public. With Dekker currently in the Turkish Super League, it doesn’t appear that we’ll get a chance to see the two men settle their differences on the court. It’s safe to say that the Smith and Dekker families aren’t having each other over dinner anytime soon.
Making Headlines Likely Won’t Help Smith’s Chances of Finding Team
Smith already had a hard enough time finding a team last season and probably wouldn’t have if Avery Bradley didn’t opt-out of the NBA bubble for the Lakers. Making headlines and arguing with a former teammate’s wife online isn’t going to make him more appealing to potentially interested teams. Smith didn’t have much of a role with the Lakers in the playoffs so it’s also fair to question if he can still be an asset for a team.
Los Angeles doesn’t seem likely to bring him back. Smith is certainly past his prime and his antics could cause headaches down the road. The Lakers are going to have plenty of time to put their team together and it’s hard to see much of a role for Smith. He does have a wealth of experience so there could be a team out there willing to take a chance on him but it’s also possible his career is nearing its end.
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