J.R. Smith regrets posting picture of Tahiry Jose’s rear on Twitter

J.R. Smith spent the past several months playing basketball in China. While he was gone, he must have forgotten how easily things can go viral.

The Knicks guard was with model Tahiry Jose Thursday night and shared a picture of the woman’s bottom on his Twitter account. Jose’s rear, marketed as the biggest ever, was only covered by a hardly visible thong. Smith joked that the behind was so large it was blocking his view of the TV.

Smith deleted the picture shortly after posting it online, but it was too late and it went viral over the next 24 hours.

Prior to his team’s game Friday, he expressed no remorse for posting the picture. After the loss, he was singing a different tune.

“I didn’t know it was going to be as big deal as it is now,” Smith said after his team’s loss to the Bucks Friday. “I definitely regret it. It takes away from our team. Anytime I do anything that takes away from our team, I’m definitely going to regret it.

“A few people talked to me about it,” Smith said. “It’s not the smartest move. I understand that now. I just have to be smarter in my decisions.”

Smith said he expects to hear from the league about the picture.

He’s probably regretful not only because the picture went viral, but also because it puts him in the middle of an awkward situation.

Jose is the ex-girlfriend of rapper Joe Budden, who apparently is no longer taking the high road in the situation. He may also have to answer to Britanie Girard, the heavily-tattooed woman with whom he was extremely close less than a year ago.

UPDATE: Smith was fined $25,000 by the NBA for the tweet.