On Tuesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers had their ring ceremony for winning the 2016 NBA championship. The ceremony was held at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland prior to their opening night game against the New York Knicks.
Among the players given their rings was J.R. Smith. The Cavaliers guard has had a very turbulent career in the NBA. He was known to party and drink and many people felt it had an adverse effect on his basketball skills. His partying and inconsistency on the court was considered a major problem while he was playing for the Knicks, especially being in New York, a city is known for its nightlife.
Last year Smith was part of a three-team trade that sent him from the Knicks to the Cavaliers. There were reports that the Knicks wanted to get rid of him and were willing to part with Iman Shumpert to do so, and that the Cavaliers just wanted Shumpert, and Smith was a throw in. However, LeBron James wanted Smith on the team. "GM LeBron" made a wise decision because Smith turned out to be a pivotal member of their championship run. LeBron was also Smith's main supporter in getting his new contract as J.R. signed a four-year, $57 million deal with the Cavaliers earlier this month.
In an emotional Instagram post, Smith acknowledged all the bad things that were said about him over the years in a caption for a picture of him wearing his new championship ring. You can read the full post up top.
Source: instagram.com
