Fastbreak

NBA Champion J.R. Smith Reacts To LeBron James' Viral Instagram Post

J.R. Smith reacted to his former teammate's post.

Ben Stinar

Jun 8, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) speaks to the media after game three of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers won 120-90. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Jun 8, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) speaks to the media after game three of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavaliers won 120-90. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

LeBron James is still one of the best players in the NBA at 40.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar recently dropped an ad that toyed around with the idea of retirement.

His post to Instagram had over 500,000 likes in six hours.

James wrote: "I’ve been asking myself the same question… 🤔👑 #ad"

One person who left a comment on the post was J.R. Smith.

The two-time NBA Champion's comment had over 2,400 likes.

He wrote: "No Chance 👏🏾"

J.R. Smith's Comment
J.R. Smith's Comment / June, 2025

Smith was with James for two titles.

He was one of the best players on the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2016 season.

Via NBA.com/Stats (on June 8, 2016): "JR Smith

Games 1 & 2: 4 PPG, 2/7 on 3's (28.6%)

Game 3: 20 PTS, 5/10 on 3's (50%)"

He was also with James and the Lakers for the 2020 title (at the end of his career).

The 2013 6th Man of The Year played 16 seasons for the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and New Orleans Hornets (in addition to the Lakers and Cavs).

As for James, he finished the 2024-25 season with averages of 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 51.3% from the field and 37.6% from the three-point range in 70 games.

Via NBA on ESPN: "LeBron James is the first player at age 40 or older to make All-NBA in NBA history"

That said, the Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Published |Modified
Ben Stinar
BEN STINAR

Ben Stinar covers basketball for ''Ball Around on SI'' and ''Fastbreak on SI'' and other Hilltop30 Media Group sites on the Sports Illustrated network.