The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly making a notable addition to their backcourt, signing veteran NBA guard J.R. Smith.
Smith, who played with LeBron James in Cleveland, will reportedly be teaming up with him again. The Lakers are reportedly finalizing a contract with Smith.
ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news.
“Smith and the Lakers have been discussing a deal since starting guard Avery Bradley opted out of the season restart last week, sources said. Smith and the Lakers were working through the final details of a contract on Monday in Los Angeles, and there are believed to be no hurdles to a finalized deal, sources said,” he reports.
Smith, of course, is one of the most meme-able players in the NBA. Unsurprisingly, the jokes were rolling in following reports of his signing.
There was one common one, though, and it had to do with Smith’s squinting and Lakers G-League forward Kostas Antetokounmpo.
“ay Bron.. since when we have Giannis?”
“ay Bron.. since when we have Giannis?” pic.twitter.com/KqrnlCI0MY
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) June 29, 2020
The joke has been retweeted more than 4,000 times and liked nearly 25,000 times. It’s safe to say that NBA fans are happy to see J.R. Smith back in the league.
It remains to be seen if Smith will be a valuable addition to the Lakers’ NBA Finals hopes, but he’s already making an impact on social media.