Former Cleveland Cavaliers champion J.R. Smith took some time on Monday to wish people a merry Christmas by remembering the time he broke Tristan Thompson’s ankles.
Merry Swishmas!!! pic.twitter.com/Gj1czgqZH4
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) December 25, 2023
The play in question took place on Jan. 30, 2014. That night, the Knicks blew out the Cavs by a score of 117-86, with Smith’s highlight play coming in the third quarter of the contest.
Smith and Thompson later became teammates on the Cavaliers and helped the franchise win a title in 2016 against the Golden State Warriors. During that 2016 NBA Finals series, Smith and Thompson were key figures as both of them played over 30 minutes per game.
The 38-year-old Smith averaged 10.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game while knocking down 40.0 percent of his shots from the field and 35.6 percent of his 3-point attempts. He was third on the team with 37.3 minutes per game.
As for Thompson, he averaged 10.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game on 63.6 percent shooting from the field. The big man was fourth on the Cavs with 32.3 minutes per game.
While Smith has been out of the league since winning a title with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2020, Thompson is presently still suiting up for the Cavs.
The 32-year-old is recording 3.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game while shooting 70.9 percent from the field this season. Thompson has stepped things up in the absence of Evan Mobley, who is currently out with a knee injury.
Mobley last played on Dec. 6, and since then, Thompson is averaging 5.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game on 72.7 percent shooting from the field.
Cleveland is 17-13 on the season, good enough for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Injuries to Mobley and Darius Garland have made things tough, and even Donovan Mitchell has missed time recently.
However, the Cavs are 4-1 in their last five games. Their next game is on Wednesday at the Dallas Mavericks, and they will then finish the year at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 29.
Though Smith took some time to poke fun at Thompson, he’s likely wishing his former teammate and team tons of success moving forward.
