While it’s unclear if this is the sort of endorsement that one should actually want, J.R. Smith now has the honor of being named the NBA’s current “Dennis Rodman” by none other than Dennis Rodman himself.
Rodman took to Twitter to wish Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks well for the upcoming season. He also co-signed the idea of Smith being Rodman’s spiritual successor:
Sending love to the zen master @PhilJackson11 and the @nyknicks for this season. Good luck to @therealjrsmith who is the new Dennis Rodman
— Dennis Rodman (@dennisrodman) October 15, 2014
Rodman surely wasn’t referencing any shared basketball skill-set between the two players. Rodman was known for his tenacious defense and uncanny rebounding ability while Smith is more well-known for his knack for launching three-pointers whenever the opportunity presents itself.
However, as far as having outsized personalities, the pairing makes sense. Jackson himself drew comparisons between Smith and Rodman, when he was asked about Smith’s antics on and off the court by the New York Post during a recent interview:
Q: How do you plan to try to get through to J.R. Smith to put an end to all his immature on- and off-the-court antics?
A: I don’t know if that’s possible or not. He might be one of those guys that’s a little bit like Dennis Rodman that has an outlier kind of side to him. But I’m gonna get to know him as we go along, and we’ll find a way to either make him a very useful player on our organization, or whatever.
As much as Rodman understandably wants the Knicks and Jackson to do well, there’s a much better comparison to Rodman in the NBA who fits Rodman’s game and look (if not quite the “outlier” personality that fits Smith better):
