J.R. Smith may be in trouble with the NBA not for the words he said, but the word he put on his body. Smith got a tattoo of the fashion company Supreme’s logo during the offseason, and as the 2018-19 season approaches it seems like the NBA isn’t a fan of that bit of corporate synergy.
Smith showed off his tattoo in August, which is a solid black version of the Supreme logo running down the back of his right calf.
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But on Saturday, Smith said in another Instagram post that the NBA informed him that he would be fined by the league unless he does not cover up his calf tattoo during the game.
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Smith elaborated on his frustration on Twitter shortly thereafter.
I swear I’m the only person they do shit like this to! So you mean to tell me i have to cover up my tattoo for what? You don’t make people cover up Jordan logos NIKE checks or anything… https://t.co/zjc8qVPYAP
— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) September 29, 2018
The idea here is that Smith is allowing a brand not affiliated with the NBA to get some free advertising in without the league getting a cut. Smith claims that Supreme isn’t paying him for the tattoo, though he did tag the post with #teamsupreme he’s simply a fan of the company.
But according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the NBA is actually serious about levying financial punishments for the tattoo.
Sources on @TheAthleticNBA @WatchStadium: NBA informed Cleveland's J.R. Smith he would be fined per game during season for "Supreme" tattoo on his leg, unless it is covered, and Smith plans to have conversations with league about situation.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 29, 2018
The backstory here is about a bit more than just the NBA not liking trendy fashion brands. Smith’s tattoo was seen as a bit of a rebelling against NBA rules after he was told he couldn’t wear a Supreme shooting sleeve despite the fact that the sleeve was a collaboration between the brand and Nike, which supplies jerseys, socks and more for the NBA.
The league says no logos or brands are allowed to be shown on skin or hair.
Statement from NBA spokesman on J.R. Smith/Supreme tattoo: "NBA rules prohibit players from displaying any commercial logos or corporate insignia on their body or in their hair." https://t.co/Qpepx6WQGE
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 29, 2018
But as Smith notes, there are some logo tattoos, especially Nike swooahes, that seem to go unnoticed by the league.
Meanwhile, Smith lasted about a half wearing a Supreme sleeve earlier in the season, and Washington’s Kelly Oubre Jr. met a similar fate. Supreme is a big fashion brand for NBA players, but outside of the shooting sleeve and some one-off pieces of Nike merchandise it seems like the two parties will remain separate. At least for this season. We’ll see if Smith wears an unbranded shooting sleeve to protect his wallet or if he’ll let his fandom show on the court when the season starts in October.
