Mike Mazzeo, ESPN Staff Writer 10y

J.R.: Pranks are fine, but fines aren't

New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith said he would continue to untie his opponents’ shoelaces -- if there weren’t any fines involved.

Smith was fined $50,000 by the NBA last season for his shoelace stunts in consecutive games.

“I do care about the fines because it’s loss of money, but other than that, I like to have fun,” Smith told Bleacher Report. “I would do [the shoelace thing] again if there wasn’t a fine. But now that I’m in my 10th year in the NBA, I take the game more seriously than I did my first five, six years.”

Smith has been known for his immaturity since he entered the league.

“People think I’m just some wild child, that I’m just somebody that bugs out all the time and doesn’t care,” Smith said. "That’s the main thing that pisses me off the most. People who actually take the time to come [to my golf tournament] and get to know me, they know what I’m about. But some people don’t really care to come.”

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