New Jersey motor vehicle officials said Denver Nuggets' guard J.R. Smith had his driver's license suspended five times in less than a year.

Smith's license was "in good standing" at the time he allegedly caused a deadly crash over the weekend.

Andre Bell, 21, was a passenger in Smith's vehicle. He suffered head injuries and died Monday.

New Jersey State Police said Bell and Smith were both ejected when Smith's SUV ran a stop sign and collided with a car on Saturday.

Police said neither man was wearing a seat belt.

Smith was hospitalized with an injured left shoulder and numerous scratches. He was ticketed for failure to stop at stop sign and improper passing.

Nuggets spokesman Eric Sebastian said he did not know if Smith would miss any training, but added, "We didn't hear anything that would indicate his career would be jeopardized in any way."

Smith has been issued two traffic tickets for failure to stop at stop sign and improper passing, Jones said. Both carry fines, though the amount was not immediately available.

A third person in Smith's car and the driver of the car he hit had only minor injuries.

Smith had been a star at Lakewood High School and St. Benedict's Prep in Newark before being the 18th overall pick of New Orleans in the 2004 NBA draft. He averaged 13.0 points in 63 games for Denver this past season.

(Copyright 2007. The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)