J.R. Smith made his identify with high-flying dunks and streaky 3-point capturing throughout a 16-year NBA profession. Lately, he’s a daily on podcasts, providing perception into immediately’s recreation and sharing tales from his taking part in days.
Smith made waves along with his feedback about probably the most gifted participant he’s ever performed with.
J.R. Smith Provides Kyrie Irving His Flowers
On a latest episode of Carmelo Anthony’s “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast, Smith joined as a visitor and broke down why Kyrie Irving stood out to him because the “most gifted” participant he’s ever performed with.
“Kyrie’s the one participant I’ve ever seen that may rating at each degree with both hand.”
JR simply stamped Kyrie Irving as his most gifted teammate due to his mind-boggling strikes 😳 pic.twitter.com/MLfNymn6z3
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) Might 12, 2025
“I feel he’s probably the most gifted offensive participant I performed with. I feel Kyrie is the one individual I’ve seen that may rating at each degree with both hand,” Smith mentioned.
“He can shoot left-handed. I’ve seen him shoot left-hand middies. He’s the very best non-dominant and dominant finisher I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s not even shut. His creativeness with attending to spots. The creativeness with spin on the backboard, I don’t know, man…”
Irving has lengthy been thought-about some of the expert ball-handlers and finishers in NBA historical past, so the reward from a former teammate comes as little shock.
Watching Irving use his craft, ball-handling, and endurance is like watching an artist at work. The courtroom turns into his canvas, and the ball, his brush.
Did Smith Snub LeBron James?
Smith performed for 5 NBA groups: the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Charlotte Hornets. Nonetheless, he’s greatest remembered for his time in Cleveland, the place he teamed up with each Kyrie Irving and LeBron James.
Collectively, that trio helped ship the Cavaliers’ first-ever NBA championship, famously turning into the one staff to come back again from a 3–1 Finals deficit to win the title.
Over the course of his profession, Smith additionally performed with stars like Anthony, Allen Iverson, Anthony Davis, and Amar’e Stoudemire. However none, in his eyes, compares to Irving with regards to pure offensive talent.
Whereas James is widely known as some of the dominant and full gamers in historical past, and is the NBA’s all-time main scorer, many don’t view him as a naturally “gifted” scorer in the best way they see Irving. Scoring, for some, is extra than simply numbers. It’s about model, finesse, and contact — the artistry of the sport.
Irving is predicted to overlook a part of the 2025–26 season with a torn ACL, however when he returns, followers can anticipate the identical clean, inventive recreation that’s earned him reward from teammates and legends alike.
