Report: J.R. Smith Accused of Choking Teenager

J.R. Smith is in the news today and it is not a good thing.

Reportedly Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith has been accused of choking a 19 year old student. The incident reportedly took place on November 13th at 4 AM in the Chelsea area of New York:

"Former New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith has been accused of choking a 19-year-old high school student in Chelsea after the younger man quipped about the hoopster’s trade to Cleveland.Smith, 30, has not been arrested in connection to the alleged incident outside Artichoke Basille’s Pizza about 4 a.m. on Nov. 13 at W. 17th St. and Tenth Ave., which shares a block with ultra-trendy celebrity hangout 1OAK."

The Cavs played Smith’s former team, the New York Knicks, on the 13th so it at least looks like he was in town the night he is accused of choking the teen.

The report says that the late night pizza place also hosted two other famous people that night. The report also goes on to look at the Thabo Sefolosha situation in New York and Smith’s comments about staying out of trouble:

"“For me, I feel like a target every time … I try to handle myself with care when I’m out and about,” Smith reportedly said.“It’s one of those situations when you’re out at 4 in the morning – I’m not saying it’s (Copeland’s) fault, by any means – but when you’re out at 4 in the morning, there’s no way you should be walking anywhere,” he added in an ESPN report."

A police report was filed 3 days later even though police were on the scene when it happened. No information on why a report was not filed on the spot with a source saying the initial report was “lost.”

The Cavs are already without starting guards Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert while losing backup guard Mo Williams for at least 2 games. Losing Smith over any legal trouble would strip the Cavs backcourt down to its bare bones with Matthew Dellavedova, Jared Cunningham and Joe Harris.

Smith has had his fair share of trouble on the court, mostly silly or impulse control related. Off the court, Smith was sentenced to 90 days in jail for causing an auto accident that killed his friend back in 2007. Smith has had a number of other minor, especially compared to the 2007 death, traffic related issues.

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He has also been suspended for substance abuse and fined for social media related issues.

His on the court antics and concerns about his impulse control is why the Cavs were able to get Smith, along with Shumpert, basically for free.

As of now, these are only allegations but it is not a good look for Smith upon his first return to New York this season. Stayed tuned to KJG for any updates on this legal matter.

What do you think about this report about J.R. Smith?