In retrospect, the Chinese Basketball Association may have wanted to modify their rule to say teams could only sign NBA players for a full season AND those players families needed to stay home. There’s a culture clash going on.
For the second time, J.R. Smith’s sister got in an altercation with fans at a Chinese game, and this time Smith’s girlfriend joined in. Via Deadspin.According to Chinese news sources, conflict erupted after Tianjin fans heckled J.R. Smith as he went to the line late in the third quarter. After what I believe to be Thunderstix were thrown onto the court by a spectator, Smith’s girlfriend got into a shoving match with Tianjin fans while his sister flipped the crowd the double-bird...
Stephanie Smith claims on her Twitter that she didn’t start the fight “this time.”
And the state of Chinese/American relations take another step back.
Will this impact the Denver Nuggets any NBA team thinking about making a run at Smith once the Chinese season ends? No. First, Smith can score and could be a key role player for any team that picks him up, shifting the balance of power. Plus, NBA teams have dealt with family and hangers on worse than whatever Smith is doing in China. NBA teams are not really going to stop their plans because of this.