J.R. Smith is known as something of a lovable knucklehead among NBA fans, and for pretty good reason. 。

But no one was laughing when Smith and his wife, Jewel Harris, shared some sad news last month.。

SEE ALSO:Noted Boston guy Mark Wahlberg has handy excuse for leaving Super Bowl early 。

Smith and Harris, who were married just last summer, after his Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA championship, posted a tough video online on Jan. 7. In that video, Harris looked into the camera and told the internet that the couple's baby girl, Dakota, had been born five months early.。

Dakota was alive, but five days after birth she weighed just one pound. 。

Dakota was alive, but five days after birth she weighed just one pound. 。

Tweet may have been deleted。

Smith and Harris didn't provide much more information then, but the situation was clearly dire.
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A preterm berth occurs when a baby is born after less than 37 weeks of pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC says about about 1 in 10 babies born in the U.S. in 2015 was affected by the condition, which can cause serious health issues and even death.  。

That's bad enough, but worse still was that little Dakota was on the extreme end of that spectrum; being born five months early would indicated Harris was pregnant for little more than 20 weeks.。

The Jan. 7 announcement by Smith and Harris was a somber moment for basketball fans. The news was doubly crushing because it struck Smith, who has seemed to mature a bit in recent years, just after he and Harris had been married, and just after he'd won his first NBA title. 。

On Monday, though, Smith updated the world with a bit of good news. 。

"Today is one of the greatest days of my life," he wrote to caption a photo he shared on Instagram. "Today I get to hold my youngest for the first time! GOD is GREAT! GOD is GREAT! #DakotaStrong"。

View this post on Instagram 。

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This does not mean the family is out of the woods yet -- but it's definitely a dose of good news for Smith, Harris and interested NBA fans who have followed their tumultuous journey of late. 
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Here's wishing Smith, Harris and baby Dakota the best going forward. 。

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Here's wishing Smith, Harris and baby Dakota the best going forward.。

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