Former NBA star and two-time NBA champion J.R. Smith has been arrested in Texas on a family violence assault charge, according to jail records and law enforcement officials.
Smith, 41, whose legal name is Earl Joseph Smith III, was taken into custody Monday, September 28, in Royse City, Texas, on an outstanding warrant issued by the Southlake Police Department. He was subsequently booked into the Hunt County Detention Center on a charge listed as assault causing bodily injury – family violence.
According to the Royse City Police Department, Smith’s arrest came after an automated license plate reader alerted an officer that a vehicle associated with a wanted person was traveling eastbound on Interstate 30.
Police stopped the vehicle and identified Smith as the driver. After confirming the active Southlake warrant, officers took the former NBA guard into custody and transported him to the Hunt County Detention Center.
Smith’s brother was reportedly riding in the vehicle with him and was allowed to take possession of the vehicle following the arrest.
As of Tuesday, jail records showed Smith remained in custody with no bond listed.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault. Southlake police have not identified the alleged victim, explained Smith’s relationship to that individual or released details regarding when or where the alleged incident occurred. The department has said its investigation remains ongoing and that no additional information is being released at this time.
Smith has not been convicted of the charge, and the filing of a criminal charge does not establish guilt.
The New Jersey native spent 16 seasons in the NBA after entering the league directly from high school as the 18th overall selection in the 2004 NBA Draft.
Smith played for the New Orleans Hornets, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers during a career in which he became one of the league’s most recognizable guards.
His best individual season came with the Knicks in 2012-13, when Smith averaged 18.1 points per game and was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
Smith later became an important part of the LeBron James-led Cavaliers team that defeated the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals, completing the historic comeback from a 3-1 series deficit and delivering Cleveland its first NBA championship.
He earned a second championship with James and the Los Angeles Lakers during the NBA’s 2020 bubble season.
Across 977 regular-season NBA games, Smith averaged 12.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
Following his NBA career, Smith took an unconventional path back to school. He enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University, an HBCU in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he joined the men’s golf team and pursued his college education after having originally gone directly from high school to the NBA.
Smith graduated from North Carolina A&T in May 2026 and has continued competing in golf events while also making media appearances discussing basketball.
His arrest now brings a serious legal matter for the former NBA champion.
For now, significant details surrounding the case remain unknown. What has been confirmed is that Smith was arrested on an active Southlake Police Department warrant and booked in Hunt County on a charge of assault causing bodily injury involving family violence.
Southlake police say the investigation remains ongoing.
