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Return of ‘shirtless’ JR Smith: NBA star dubbed ‘bad influence’ as Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso go bare-chested too

With 15 seconds left in the game, JR Smith was celebrating the Los Angeles Lakers win bare-chested with his jersey out of sight

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat to clinch their 17th NBA title with a 106-93 Game 6 win. Not only was it first-year coach Frank Vogel's first NBA crown, but it also marked LeBron James' fourth title and his first since signing in LA in 2018. The 35-year-old basketball star got his fourth NBA Finals MVP award following his 28-point triple-double on October 11, 2020. 

As Kobe Bryant's spirit presided over the championship win, all eyes were stuck on JR Smith. The basketball player had his shirt off even before the game ended. With 15 seconds left in the game, Smith was celebrating bare-chested with his jersey out of sight. Even though he did not have an impressive postseason as he averaged two points over ten games, it didn't stop him from being overjoyed at his team's win.

Catch the moment here: "@TheRealJRSmith celebrating the only way he knows how," a tweet posted by NBA on TNT read. Another said, "The return of shirtless J.R.!"

This is not the first time Smith pulled such a stunt. Remember how he went an entire week without a shirt to celebrate the Cavaliers’ championship-winning comeback against the Warriors in 2016? No sooner were pictures and videos of the moment splashed across social media, fans couldn't stop laughing over the entire fiasco. 

"Guys like JR Smith are 100% champions. The team isn’t the same without them because of the influence in practice etc that none of us see. But man, you can’t lead the celebrations like that. It’s so weird!" one tweet read and another said, "Shirtless JR Smith is what we all aspire to be in some aspect of our lives."

Some mocked him. "JR Smith grabbing the trophy first like he did something. LET'S GO LAKERS!!" one tweet read and another said, "Imagine jr Smith being the first to lift the trophy." Following his footsteps, many other players too went shirtless in no time. One Twitter user even joked he was a "bad influence." The tweet read: "JR Smith is a bad influence on the youg guys!!! Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso do their postgame presser shirtless! #NBAFinals." Another said, "Caruso the GOAT been hanging around JR Smith too much." A third chimed in, "The influence of JR Smith cannot be overstated."