NBA Q&A: J.R. Smith

Courtesy of Dime:

Dime: You had an old Twitter account, but you got rid of it before settling on@TheRealJRSmith. Have you found that talking to people over Twitter and Instagram has allowed you to change people’s perception of you?

J.R. Smith: Yeah. It’s, without a doubt, a lot of people. So people get to see who I really am, as opposed to reading what other people are writing and stuff like that. It really gives me a chance to let them know even when you have giveaways and stuff like that and just really keep proactive with the fans.

Dime: The Bike Ride from last year really cracked us up. Did you think of that spur of the moment, or did you just think, “I’ll go on Twitter and send it out to my fans as a joke?”

Smith: It was kind of a spur of the moment thing. I was actually coming back from my mom’s house with my brother. And I sent the tweet out, not really thinking anyone would really respond. Before I knew it, it had like a thousand mentions: “Oh, I’m gonna meet you, I’m gonna meet you.” And I thought, “let’s do it then.”

Dime: You had a pretty big crew there, and it was the middle of the night too.

Smith: Yeah, plus we rolled down to the Garden and stuff. And they had a sneaker release for the new Jordans and we were right outside. So it was dope.

Dime: You got any good Jordan stories coming up on his 50th birthday? We know you never played against him, but have you ever gone against him in a scrimmage or anything?

Smith: Nah, I wish. Just to be in the same room with him; I’m in awe every time.

Dime: So you’re a guy growing up, was he someone–

Smith: Oh yeah. That was my favorite player. Every play in my backyard, fadeaways, thinking I was Jordan, trying to dunk. And now, fortunately, I get to re-enact them at the Garden.