J.R. Smith Video: Watch Nuggets Forward Confirm Jerk Status During Charity Game

J.R. Smith is a jerk, plain and simple. The Denver Nuggets forward has long been seen as one of the boneheads of the NBA, a guy who just didn't seem to get it and would never live up to his considerable talent, but in a video making its way across the sports world, Smith confirmed his jerk status to the fans. 

The high-flying Nugget forward was taking part in a charity game in  Louisville, Kentucky put on by Earl Clark. A player on the team opposing Smith's tossed a long pass to a kid at the far end of the court, and Smith's team turned off the jets to let him score.

Well, all of the defenders slowed up except Smith, who kicked on the afterburners and took flight, swatting the kid's layup attempt into the stands.

Shockingly, the fans weren't terribly pleased by Smith playing the bully and swatting a teenager's shot during a charity game and booed him.

What was he thinking? Did he forget that this was just a game for fun, that the game was solely to raise money for a charity? Or was he just capitalizing on the opportunity to be the most talented and best player on the court for a change? 

Seriously, Smith deserves all the criticism he gets in this situation. You're an NBA player (albeit one who averaged all of 24.9 minutes per game last season and never played defense); you have no need to go and swat a kid's shot like that. 

On an aside, where was this kind of thing during the NBA season? Maybe if Smith showed that kind of effort with the Nuggets, he wouldn't have been relegated to the deep bench in the postseason last year, and might have started more than six games. 

So, thanks for exuding so much class, J.R., in showing that kid who was boss. Hope it was worth it.