JR Smith Says He Was ‘Depressed’ for 70% of His NBA Career — and Blasts the Knicks for How They Handled It

For all the flashy jumpers and iconic celebrations, J.R. Smith’s NBA career carried a heavy weight that few fans ever saw. Now, more than a year after retiring, the two-time champion and former Sixth Man of the Year is pulling back the curtain on a painful truth he lived with for over a decade.

During a candid appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Smith revealed that he estimates he played “70% of my career depressed.” The admission cuts deeper because Smith’s career — 16 seasons, two rings, and some of the most electric highlights in league history — often looked like pure joy from the outside.

‘I Went Through All of That’

Smith opened up about the toll injuries and addiction took on his mental health. After tearing his meniscus while playing for the New York Knicks, he says the team rushed him back onto the court before he was fully healed.

“I’m hurting the whole time, [and] I get addicted to pain pills,” Smith said. “They know it, but nobody comes and says, ‘Yo man, you good? What can we do to help you?’ Nah.”

Instead, Smith claims the organization made him feel like damaged goods. The Knicks included him as a “throw-in” in a 2015 trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers — a move that ultimately gave him a championship, but one that left him bitter about how he was treated on the way out.

“Ship him to Cleveland. He’s a throw-in for the trade,” Smith recalled, mimicking the front office’s attitude. “You literally don’t care at all. You just throw more dirt on my name and then move me.”

A Misunderstood Career

Smith’s raw honesty adds a layer of complexity to a player often remembered for the wrong reasons — the infamous blunder in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, or the occasional off-court headlines. But his numbers tell a story of longevity and resilience: a career 12.5 points per game, over 1,900 three-pointers made, and a Sixth Man of the Year award in 2013.

He specifically shouted out Kevin Love, his former Cavaliers teammate, for normalizing conversations around mental health in the league. “That’s why I love K Love because he talks about it all the time,” Smith said. “The mental aspect of it, the emotional [side], the depression, all of that.”

The Knicks have not responded to Smith’s comments, and the team has not confirmed his version of events. But his remarks come at an interesting time for the franchise — fresh off winning the 2026 NBA championship, their first title since 1973.

A Stark Reminder for the League

Smith’s story is a reminder that NBA careers are not just stat lines and highlight reels. Behind the buzzer-beaters and the celebratory champagne, players are human beings dealing with physical pain, emotional exhaustion, and — in Smith’s case — a sense that the people running the show didn’t care.

“I dealt with a lot of sh*t and y’all don’t care,” he said. “You don’t care at all.”

Whether you remember Smith as a clutch shooter, a locker room wild card, or the guy who forgot the score in the Finals, his latest interview makes one thing clear: the game gave him a lot, but the game also took a lot.