One of J.R. Smith’s childhood dreams will soon be realized in his hometown of Millstone Township, New Jersey. Smith and his father are opening a new lifestyle/sneaker store called Team Swish.
J.R. spoke with Jared Zwerling of the NBPA, saying:
“Ever since I got back with my wife, Jewel, last year and proposed to her in August, things started going uphill, slowly but surely…
A lot has changed for me mentally and materially. I used to spend so much money in the summertime doing fun stuff. Now, I’m actually consciously trying to save, so we can live how we want to live after basketball. I’ve even sold a few things. More than anything, being in that dad role is more important now. I know I have to leave something for these girls. I don’t want to leave them with bills or anything. I want to leave them something they can do what they want with. After my career is over with, and they have kids, I think more than anything it’s just building a foundation for the family.”
Smith spoke more on the opening of the store, saying:
“While I had been working on it for a while, it was just a matter of when was the right time. So it just so happens now it is, with the championship, to open my own sneaker store in my hometown of Millstone Township, NJ. Ever since I was a kid, I always dreamed of having my own sneaker store. When I was growing up, Michael Jordan was in the prime of everything. So, a fresh pair of kicks was always everything. No matter what else you had on, if you had a fresh pair of sneakers on, you were always the freshest guy in school – no matter what your pants looked like, no matter what your shirt looked like, hat, whatever. It was always about the shoes, so I got attached extremely early.”
Team Swish plans on an August opening and will stock sneakers, apparel, backpacks, and other lifestyle pieces. According to the NBPA, Smith is donating 400 backpacks to local organizations for kids.
Smith’s relationship with his father makes this startup surreal. Through every hardship for a championship, doing it for the man who made every sacrifice.
Congratulations to Earl!