Earlier this week, retired NBA champion and cannabis advocate JR Smith made headlines joining retired NBA athletes turned podcasts hosts, Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes for a candid conversation on All The Smoke Podcast. With an opportunity to shed light on the sports cannabis landscape, JR Smith broke down how the latest policy changes affected players in the bubble;
“Yeahh… We was blowing it down in there…you know what’s funny, it was the only way you could function…It was cool, I’m glad it happened because it finally broke that barrier and that stigma that you couldn’t play and all of this, it was a drug, it was this and that…”
-JR Smith | All The Smoke Podcast
Drafted out of highschool, JR Smith was picked by New Orleans Hornets in the first round, 18th overall in the 2004 NBA draft. His career highlights include playing for the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, receiving the NBA sixth Man of the Year in 2014 and winning two championships with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
Due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the 2020 basketball season, the National Basketball Association suspended all random tests for cannabis and shifted focus to random testing for performance-enhancing products.
Reflecting on the 2020 season, the championship and cannabis, JR Smith added;
“When you go to the bubble basketball, some of them dudes was — granted, it was like practice games and some of ‘em really can’t play that well in front of 30,000 — but at the same time you saw some of the best level of basketball.”
-JR Smith | All The Smoke Podcast
Today we are seeing active and retired athletes come to the forefront to share their stories and journeys in an effort to normalize the conversation.
Kevin Durant
NBA champion Kevin Durant recently made waves across the world, announcing a collaborative content partnership with WeedMaps. Early September, Kevin Durant joined the Out of Office Podcast to discuss his latest venture as well as all things sports cannabis.
Al Harrington
Al Harrington leads the charge for cannabis athlete entrepreneurs bringing to life unique brands and initiatives. Al’s most notable endeavour, Viola Brand is a company named after his grandmother who suffered from glaucoma as well as diabetes and eventually found significant relief after implementing cannabis into her life. Today, Viola Brand is a cannabis company founded by Al Harrington with an emphasis on offering premium products, as well as a focus on education, social equity and community involvement.
Klay Thompson
In a historic moment, Klay Thompson became the first active NBA athlete to back a CBD brand. Klay has dealt with his fair share of injuries and today is advocating for CBD and a clean healthy lifestyle. He’s partnered with other elite athletes to create a unique product line “Just Live” which caters to fitness enthusiasts and athletes of all levels looking for natural, clean alternatives.
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