Report: J.R. Smith Was Suspended for Throwing Soup at Assistant Coach

Now we know why J.R. Smith was suspended by the Cavs.

The Cavaliers’ decision to suspend J.R. Smith for one game stems from an incident between Smith and assistant coach Damon Jones in which Smith threw a bowl of soup at Jones, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin report. 

Smith was suspended for Thursday’s home game against the Sixers for what the team called “detrimental conduct.” The suspension was announced less than two hours before tipoff. Smith was present for Cleveland’s shootaround earlier Thursday, meaning the incident apparently occurred after then. 

Jones, a former NBA journeyman, spent three seasons with the Cavs and was a bench player on the team that lost the 2007 NBA Finals. He was hired as an assistant coach for the Cavs’ G-League affiliate in 2015 and joined the Cleveland staff at the start of last season. 

Rodney Hood took Smith’s spot in the starting lineup on Thursday and the Cavs lost 108–97.