J.R. Smith is finally shedding more light on one of the most infamous incidents of his NBA career, the moment he threw a bowl of hot soup at former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Damon Jones and ended up suspended by the team.
Appearing on The Pivot Podcast, Smith explained that the incident happened during a particularly difficult period in his personal life and that his reaction came after repeatedly warning Jones to stop bothering him.
“People can’t really understand that I’m not a person who, if I tell you stop playing with me, stop playing with me. I don’t play. I’m not playing. At that time, I wasn’t playing well. My relationship, my marriage, was sketchy. My daughter was only about a year removed from being born premature, so I’m still dealing with that and figuring that whole situation out.”
“I still had people who needed me and relied on me. So I’m having a full day before I even get to my job, where I have to go perform. I get to the lunchroom. We’re in there chilling, or I’m standing in line just trying to get my soup or whatever. And he comes in there playing around, trying to knock the soup out of my hand.”
“So I’m like, ‘Yo, bro, stop playing.’ Of course, he tried to knock it out of my hand again. So I just threw it. This motherf**ker screamed so loud, dog. That s**t was hot. The chef had just put it out. I was the first person to get a cup. Bruh. He screamed, ‘Ahhh!’ And it just so happened that the GM was in the cafeteria. He went and told the big dog. And they were just like, ‘Bruh.’ And that’s how I ended up getting suspended.”
According to Smith, the incident occurred during the 2017-18 season when he was dealing with struggles both on and off the court. His marriage was going through difficulties, his daughter was still dealing with complications after being born prematurely, and he was carrying significant personal stress while trying to perform for a championship contender.
The Cavaliers ultimately suspended Smith for one game in March 2018 for conduct detrimental to the team. At the time, reports indicated that Jones suffered a burn from the soup but was not seriously injured.
The suspension created headlines across the league because it came during a season in which Cleveland was already dealing with constant drama surrounding LeBron James‘ final year before leaving for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Despite the controversy, Smith remained an important contributor during Cleveland’s run to the 2018 NBA Finals. He averaged 8.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists during the regular season while shooting 37.5% from three-point range. The Cavaliers went on to win the Eastern Conference before falling to the Golden State Warriors in the Finals.
The soup incident has become one of the most memorable off-court stories from that Cavaliers era. Years later, Smith appears able to laugh about it, but his recent comments also provide context behind what led to the moment. For Smith, it was never about a bowl of soup. It was the result of personal frustrations, repeated warnings, and one prank that went too far.
