For J.R. Smith, wealth arrived fast, loudly, and without warning. The former NBA guard spent much of his career enjoying everything that came with being one of the league’s most electrifying players, but time and distance have reshaped how he views those choices. Instead of celebrating the nights he once embraced, he now uses them as a cautionary message for athletes stepping into lifestyles they may not be prepared to manage.
Reflecting
Smith’s reflections have become part of his post-NBA evolution. After earning roughly $90 million across 16 seasons, he admitted in a 2022 “I Am Athlete” interview that he often poured money into moments that held no long-term value.
What hits him now is how easily that same money could have changed lives back home.
“I could have fed my whole community 10 times over with the money I was just [paying in fines for being] late on the bus,” he said, recalling how casually he once treated tens of thousands of dollars.
The moment that drew the most attention came when he compared his own spending to what it could have done for others.
“We got the money. We don’t have the mindset. We’d rather go throw $60,000 in a club, in a strip club. Go throw $60,000 than go feed 2,500 people in the hood,” he said. “Think about it, I can’t sit here and be like, I’m a hypocrite, I’ve done this myself. I’ve thrown money in the club literally mindlessly, aimlessly, drunk at a bar. Now, I sit back and I’m like, I’m a stupid a— n—ga. I could have fed my community 10 times over with the money I was just…”
The candor wasn’t about shaming players; it was about urging them to understand the long-term power of their earnings.
During the same interview, he expanded his point, shifting from personal reflection to collective responsibility.
Smith recalled the NBA bubble in 2020, when players were discussing what to ask team owners for after the killing of George Floyd. He challenged the entire premise.
“Everyone is like ‘what we gonna ask the owners for?’ Stop asking them for s—t! What are we asking them for?” he said.
Sitting beside some of the league’s highest earners, he pushed them to see their own influence.
“I got Paul George sitting right here, I got DeMar DeRozan sitting right here, I got Russell Westbrook sitting right here… You make $200 (million), you make $200 (million), you make $175 (million), you make $150 (million), and you make $180 (million). Why don’t y’all have your own gym? Why we gotta go to UCLA to work out every time? Y’all come from the exact same community. You want to inspire kids that look like you? All it takes is five of them,” he said.
His critique was simple: athletes often underestimate the collective power they already possess. Ownership isn’t the only path to change—shared investment is.
Smith’s life after basketball reflects that same spirit of reinvention. He enrolled at North Carolina A&T, joined the golf team, and entered the NIL marketplace with Excel Sports Management representing him.
Even with an estimated net worth of $35 million, he embraced the chance to build a new lane, proving that a second career can have as much purpose as the first.
His personal life has transformed alongside his professional shift.
Smith and actress Candice Patton recently welcomed a new baby, sharing glimpses of their son online. While many celebrated, some questioned the timing, given his complicated separation from his wife, Shirley “Jewel” Smith.
In the end, the message driving his reflection remains clear: the impact of $60,000 lasts longer when spent on people instead of fleeting nights. By revisiting his own choices, Smith is urging today’s athletes to think beyond the moment and recognize the legacy their money can build.
