Portland Trail Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard isnāt pleased that the NBA is forcing Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith to cover up his āSupremeā tattoo. On Tuesday, the league announced they would slap aĀ fine on the Cavs veteran if he didnāt cover up the āSupremeā tattoo which is on his right leg. Smith said later that evening he would cover up the tattoo because he doesnāt want to āput money in their pockets.ā
Lillard took to Twitter Wednesday night to voice his displeasure with the NBAās decision.
SupremeĀ is anĀ AmericanĀ skateboarding shop and clothingĀ brand which wasĀ established inĀ New York City in 1994. Smith is not a partner with the company, he just likes the brand and felt like getting the tattoo. Unfortunately for the Cavsā starting shooting guard, he wonāt be able to show it off this season.
J.R. Smith will make $14.7 million this season and has $3.9 million guaranteed in 2019-20. He obviously has the money to pay the fine if he chose to not cover up the tattoo, but the veteran shooter isnāt in the mood to give the league more money. Smith averaged 8.3 points, 2.9 rebounds,Ā and 1.8 assists in 80 regular season games last season, shooting 40.3 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.
During the Cavsā postseason run, Smith posted 8.7 points and shot 34.8 percent overall and 36.7 percent from 3-point distance. The 33-year-old has been most notably known for his careless error at the conclusion of Game 1 of the NBA Finals against theĀ Golden State Warriors. Smith got the offensive rebound off aĀ George HillĀ missed free-throw, but dribbled the ball out to the perimeter, clearly not knowing that the game was tied.