Former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Damon Jones finally brought light to the details of the infamous soup incident in which J.R. Smith tossed a bowl of hot chicken tortilla soup his way, resulting in a game’s suspension.
The longtime NBA player detailed the exchange with ESPN’s David Jacoby of Jalen & Jacoby, recounting what took place at the practice facility.
Jacoby: Did he throw the bowl at you? or did he throw the ball along with the soup at you? Did he pour the soup on you or did he launch the bowl at you?
Damon Jones: “It was the bowl PLUS the soup… and it was the first bowl out of the pot, so it was hot as hell. Yes it was hot, very hot.”
Jacoby: Where did it hit you?
Jones: “It went everywhere. I was standing up and it hit me in the shoulder, in the arm, it hit the wall. It was a mess.”
Jacoby: How long before you guys sat down and hashed it out? I would need a couple of days.
Damon Jones: “We didn’t talk to each other for probably three months. Not one word. I remember it was a night after a back-to-back, it was against Philadelphia, and we sat down and said ‘you know what, brothers have quarrels, I’m sorry. I apologize, let’s move on.'”
Fortunately for Jones and Smith, they ended on a good note and didn’t let it fester — but the situation was surely more than just a joke gone bad, as three months of silence can speak to a lot of frustration between player and coach.