Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith bought flowers for every mother on his daughter’s NICU for Mother’s Day.
J.R. Smith had made a name for himself as a talented guard who could be kind of a hassle. Over the past few years he has truly made strides to become a more mature ballplayer and person. While he’s become an NBA champion on the court, he’s still had to deal with tough times off the court. This past January, Smith and his wife gave birth to their daughter, Dakota.
Dakota was born five months premature and only weighed one pound five days after her birth. Dakota Smith has been in NICU the past few months as doctors continuously monitor and care for her. But while the doctors care for Dakota, Smith decided to care for all the mothers whose children are also in the NICU.
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Smith spoke with Tom Withers from the Associated Press, on handling the ordeal;
"‘You can’t separate the two because it’s life and for me it goes hand in hand,” he said. ”The life I live is because of basketball and one of the reasons I’m able to provide and have a family the way I have is because of my basketball stature and what I’ve been able to do at this point in my life. For her, that’s No. 1. That comes before this game or any other game.”"
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While Smith and his family take care of Dakota, it’s incredible that he still thought of the other mothers. Mothers Day can be a joyful or somber day for many. Some mothers don’t have children that are living, while some children don’t have mothers. In this case, some mothers are there at the hospital. The fact that Smith thought about them is a true testament to where his heart and mind is.