Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith was in New York City on Friday to speak with police about an allegation that was made against him. According to an official report from ESPN, the Cavs guard from New Jersey allegedly threw a fan’s cell phone into a construction site outside a popular Chelsea nightspot last month.
On July 26, a man told police that Smith grabbed his cell phone and threw it into a construction zone in Manhattan after the man tried to take a picture of Smith.
Smith, now 32 years of age, was issued a ticket for misdemeanor criminal mischief, according to ESPN’s report. The streaky shooter is expected to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court sometime later this year.
Smith’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, wrote a statement to ESPN with regards to the allegations.
“This is nonsense and we’re not going to respond to nonsense,” Smith’s attorney wrote in his statement.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office investigated the incident, according to a report from The New York Post, but ultimately ruled that the evidence didn’t support criminal charges.
Smith appeared in 80 games for the Cavaliers during their 2017-18 regular season campaign, averaging 8.3 points on 40.3 percent shooting from the field (37.5 percent from beyond the arc), 2.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and just under one steal (0.9) in 28.1 minutes per outing.
