J.R. Smith Accused of Choking New York City Teen
Just when it seemed like J.R. Smith was starting to calm down in Cleveland, there's this report of him allegedly getting in trouble during his return to the Big Apple.
The New York Daily News is reporting that the Cavaliers guard has been accused of choking a 19-year-old in Manhattan in the wee hours of last Friday morning after the teenager made fun of the Knicks trading him to Cleveland.
The newspaper says the alleged incident happened outside of Artichoke Basille's Pizza in the Chelsea section of Manhattan at about 4 a.m. on November 13, when Smith was in town with the Cavs to face his former Knicks team.
Apparently the teen, Justin Brown, made snide remarks in Smith's direction after the longtime NBA guard ignored his photo request. Smith was captured on a cellphone video walking away from the kid and his group of friends.
That's when Brown commented, “that’s why New York kicked you out, yo," prompting Smith to allegedly choke him against the building.
The Daily News says a police report was filed three days after the incident, but a source also told the newspaper that cops told Brown the initial report was "lost."
Brown’s lawyer, Leon Jacobson, said the teen “did nothing to deserve this attack.”
“Using your physical dominance to inflict pain and instill fear into somebody who is clearly weaker than you is unexceptable in any context, but there is something sick about doing it to a kid asking you to take a picture with him,” Jacobson said.
On Friday, a week after the alleged incident, Smith took to his Twitter account to discredit the accusation against him.
The Cavs guard's lawyer, Alex Spiro, told the Daily News that, "the allegation is completely false. He won’t be arrested.”
The Cavs' front office also knows about the alleged incident and say that they've spoken to Smith about it.
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(Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
