Lakers Guard J.R. Smith Flips Out After Arriving in NBA Bubble

The Los Angeles Lakers arrived in the NBA bubble in Orlando on Thursday night and it didn’t take long for J.R. Smith to find something off about his new living quarters.

Smith went on Instagram Live as he arrived in his room and found that he did not have any blankets on his bed. On top of that, the packaged one that was provided did not look like it would come close to providing full coverage for the 6-foot-6 Smith. The situation set off a comical NSFW rant from the outspoken guard.

“Bruh — they didn’t do that bruh. They didn’t do that,” Smith says in the expletive-laden video as he shows off a blanket with an NBA logo. “Look at the blanket bruh. What the [expletive]. I know Bron ain’t got this. Bron and AD, these [expletive] 6-foot-12. I know they aren’t using this little [expletive] blanket. Ya’ll got to chill. I got to chill.”

Smith stayed on his stream before he allegedly got a text from a team or league official to shut it down.

“Ah man. They mad at me bro. I’m gone, just got the text. Exposing too much [expletive],” Smith said. “Got to go. My bad.”

Smith wasn’t all negative about the bubble life. In fact, earlier in the night he had some good things to say about the food on the menu — contrary to what previous photos revealed.

Smith isn’t the first Lakers guard to have something to say about the bubble situation. Rajon Rondo made headlines for comparing the stay to living in a Motel 6.

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J.R. Smith Happy to be Back on an NBA Roster

Blanket or not, Smith is happy to be back playing basketball. The Lakers signed Smith after starting guard Avery Bradley opted out of the NBA restart, deciding instead to stay behind with his family.

Smith’s last game was on Nov. 19, 2018 with the Cavaliers and he said his time away from basketball sent him into a depression.

“I went through a very depressed state for a long time,” Smith told reporters on Monday during a video conference call. “And it lasted for a few months, where I just didn’t — I’m a big video gamer, I didn’t even play 2K anymore. I don’t want to hoop, I don’t want to work out, I don’t want to play 2K, I don’t want do anything with basketball.”

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Frank Vogel: J.R. Smith is Really Going to Help Us

Smith will provide some extra shooting for the Lakers off the bench. He hits his 3-pointers at a 37.3 percent clip for his career and averages 12.5 points per game. He also has a wealth of playoff experience, having played with LeBron James in Cleveland, winning the title in 2016.

Smith’s deal is pro-rated for the veteran’s minimum, paying him $289,803 for the remainder of the season in Orlando. Smith will still haul in nearly $1.5 million from the Cavaliers this season on his old deal (h/t Bobby Marks).

“Watching him workout yesterday and today, it’s clear that he’s done a remarkable job of staying in shape and ready,” Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said on Monday. “Hey, his nickname is ‘Swish’ for a reason. He’s a shotmaker. I think he’s really gonna help us.”

Now let’s get the man a blanket so he can make it to game day.

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