Former NBA champion J.R. Smith has been arrested in Texas on an assault charge involving alleged family violence.
Smith, 41, was taken into custody in Hunt County, Texas, according to jail records. He faces an assault charge for allegedly causing bodily injury involving family violence.
Smith remained at the Hunt County Detention Center as of Tuesday, Sept. 29. No bond had been set at the time of reporting. CBS News Texas reported that Smith was arrested by police in Royse City. The city sits roughly 30 miles northeast of Dallas.
Details surrounding the alleged incident remain limited. Authorities have not publicly identified the alleged victim. They also have not disclosed the circumstances that led to Smith’s arrest.
The relationship between Smith and the alleged victim also has not been publicly disclosed. CBS News Texas contacted the Royse City Police Department seeking additional information about the case. A representative for Smith also did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE.
Smith spent 16 seasons in the NBA
Smith built a lengthy professional basketball career before turning his attention toward education and golf.
The New Jersey native entered the NBA directly from high school in 2004. He spent 16 seasons playing for five teams. Smith became particularly known for his time with the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
He earned the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award during the 2012-13 season with New York. Smith later became an important member of Cleveland’s 2016 championship roster.
He won another championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. That season marked his final NBA appearance. After stepping away from professional basketball, Smith took an unconventional path back to school.
He enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University and joined the historically Black university’s golf team. Smith graduated in May 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies. His studies focused on applied cultural thought.
Smith has faced previous legal issues
The latest arrest is not Smith’s first encounter with the legal system. In 2009, Smith served jail time following a deadly 2007 car crash in New Jersey.
Smith was driving when the crash killed his friend and passenger, Andre Bell. Smith later pleaded guilty to reckless driving. He also faced a misdemeanor criminal mischief case in New York in 2018.
That case involved allegations that Smith took a fan’s cellphone and threw it into a construction site. He later agreed to restitution.
In 2020, Smith was recorded striking a man during an encounter in Los Angeles. Smith later said the man had damaged the windows of his vehicle. The circumstances surrounding Smith’s latest arrest remain under investigation.
No publicly available information has indicated when Smith will make his first court appearance. Authorities also have not announced further charges.