JR Smith made headlines earlier this week when he described Sam Dekker as the only teammate he ever had serious drama with. The Los Angeles Lakers reserve aired out his issues during a recent appearance on the All Things Covered podcast With Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden.
“Throughout my whole career, it’s only one teammate I really don’t like,” Smith said.
“And he know that. And everybody else, I’m just cool with… This dude Sam Dekker, dog. I can’t, this dude. He did some bull**** on the bus one day, talking some Trump ****, and I just wasn’t having it.
“For what the question he asked, it’s a thought pattern. You’re taught that. It’s not like – it’s the hate you give. And I feel like it’s something you’re taught. It’s not – the privilege he has was taught to him, and he took heed of it and run with it even further than somebody who was not – who was oblivious to what they have and what the life they lived,” he continued.
“Because some people just go through their life – not necessarily knowing, but not aware and privy to somebody else’s circumstances. He’s a person who’s just very aware of somebody else’s circumstances and want to keep them there, as opposed to try to help him elevate up. And I don’t respect anything about that.”
Dekker’s wife, Olivia, saw Smith’s comments and decided to respond.
Extremely inaccurate and unfair. Consider the source.
— Olivia Harlan Dekker (@OliviaDekker) October 26, 2020
Which prompted a rebuttal from Smith.
Would you like to explain why your husband can’t say NI&&@R or should I? I don’t mind at all. https://t.co/bgEZEUE3pm
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) October 27, 2020
And a reply from Olivia.
JR… he doesn’t say that word. I’ve never heard him say that word. He’s not a racist or a trump supporter. Simple as that. Not sure what your motive is here
— Olivia Harlan Dekker (@OliviaDekker) October 27, 2020
And then one final retort from Smith.
Motive? No motive just call it how it’s displayed. An for the record i never said he “used” just tell him why he can’t! https://t.co/ZliSOdZAbX
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) October 27, 2020
Smith and Dekker briefly played together on the Cleveland Cavaliers, before the latter player was traded to the Washington Wizards in a five-team swap.
Fans weren’t shy about how they looked. https://t.co/VEgkGVevr3
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 27, 2020
Dekker would later sign with the Russian club PBC Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League and the EuroCup in 2019, and Türk Telekom of the Turkish Super League (BSL) in 2020.
Smith continued on with the Cavaliers, with whom he won the NBA Championship. He then joined LeBron James in Los Angeles this year – where he promptly won his second career title.
Yikes Dwight Howard. https://t.co/OZwkISeu2z
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 27, 2020
Smith is one one of the NBA’s most notorious and memorable personalities, while Dekker was a largely forgettable bench player, so it is easy to see where public support will ultimately land in this dust-up.
As far as the veracity of Smith’s claims, that’s something nobody will ever truly know unless another teammate chooses to speak up and settle the debate once and for all.
Related: Celtics Trading Gordon Hayward To Blazers?
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
