When Hillary Clinton met J.R. Smith, she made a joke about his shirt
J.R. Smith—and whether or not he is wearing a shirt at a given time—has been a pervasive topic ever since the Cavaliers came back from down 3–1 to win the NBA Finals in June.
So pervasive, in fact, that even Hillary Clinton had jokes.
Smith and LeBron James—SI’s 2016 Sportsperson of the Year—helped campaign for Clinton in Ohio in the days leading up to the election. In Lee Jenkins's most recent story about LeBron James, who is SI's 2016 Sportsperson of the Year, he reveals that Clinton cracked up LeBron when she made a J.R. Smith shirt joke backstage at a rally.
Clinton did not know James personally but she watched Game 7 on a small TV next to a recovery room at Columbia Medical Center in New York after her daughter, Chelsea, gave birth. “As big as you are, as busy as you are, it humbles me that you’d take the time to do this,” Clinton tells James, when they meet backstage. “Of course,” James responds. He introduces Clinton to Smith, who vows to keep his shirt on. “Oh, you look good either way,” Clinton cracks, and James howls. He then introduces Smith’s eight-year-old daughter, Demi, whom James calls his niece. He explains that Demi was just in Washington D.C. visiting monuments. He snaps a photo as the girl describes what she saw.
President Obama also couldn’t resist making a joke about Smith’s shirt when the Cavs visited the White House. It‘s unclear whether the saga will ever end.
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