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NBA: 30 best careers from players who skipped college

By Josh Cornelissen

LeBron James, Miami Heat and Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images
LeBron James, Miami Heat and Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images /
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J.R. Smith
J.R. Smith Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images /

30 best careers from players who skipped college – 17. J.R. Smith

Some high school prospects had parents encouraging them to go to college to get an education and build a foundation for their long-term future. Others encouraged their children to chase their dream while the door was open to secure a contract and make that first payday. J.R. Smith’s father fell in the second camp and was one of the driving forces in Smith declaring for the 2004 NBA Draft.

The athletic guard was selected 18th overall by the New Orleans Hornets, one of eight high schoolers taken in the first 20 picks. The six who went before Smith were ranked in the top eight of their high school class, while Smith was just 23rd. Of them all, Smith finished behind only Dwight Howard in games played his rookie season, jumping right in as a bench contributor for the Hornets.

Smith became something of a journeyman from there. While talented, equally capable of throwing down a thunderous dunk as he was to nail a 3-pointer, concerns about his maturity and dedication to improving surrounded him. He was ridden hard by coaches such as Denver’s George Karl and New York’s Mike Woodson. That didn’t stop him from producing, and he won the 2012-13 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.

In 2015 the Cleveland Cavaliers took a chance on him, trading for he and Iman Shumpert to join LeBron James’ push for a title. He would start regularly for the team for the next four seasons, including four trips to the NBA Finals. He hit a number of big shots during his time with the Cavaliers, even if he is best known for a Game 1 gaffe in the 2018 NBA Finals that created an Internet-sensation of a meme.

Smith played 16 seasons in the NBA, winning two titles alongside James in both Cleveland and as a deep deserve with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. He shot 37.3 percent from deep for his career, finding his role and filling it well during the back half of his career. Whether his dad was right or wrong, Smith certainly secured the bag as an NBA player, earning $88 million over the course of his career.