Grow up, J.R.

J.R. Smith became a fan favorite during his one year in Oklahoma City with the Hornets.

It wasn’t his game we loved.

It was his youthful spirit.

Smith acted like a big kid. Goofy. Funny. He’d come out of the locker room at halftime, and if they were playing the “Everybody Clap Your Hands” song, he’d dance. He would still be shooting baskets, but he’d be doing all the dance steps as directed by the song.

Heck, even when he came back this past season with the Nuggets, he danced at halftime.

It was that child-like attitude, though, that got Smith relegated to the end of the Hornets’ bench. Byron Scott’s doghouse.

And now, Smith’s immaturity has landed him in an even worse place. He was driving an SUV during the weekend that ran a stop sign, collided with another car and flipped over. Smith was thrown from the vehicle but suffered only minor injuries.

Andre Bell was not so lucky.

Smith’s 21-year-old friend died Monday from the injuries he suffered in the accident. He had massive head injuries. He spent a couple of days in a coma. He did not survive.

Who knows what Smith was doing when he ran that stop sign. Singing to what was on the radio. Talking on his cell. Yacking to someone in the car. Time — and a police investigation — will reveal what happened.

Used to be, Smith’s antics were goofy and endearing. Now, they’ve cost a man his life.

Time to grow up, J.R.

Past time, actually.