CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers guard JR Smith pleaded not guilty last week to a traffic ticket alleging reckless driving and excessive speeding.
Smith was pulled over at 1:19 a.m. on Oct. 12 in Bay Village -- a suburban town nestled on the Lake Erie shoreline about 15 miles from downtown Cleveland -- and cited with willful or wanton disregard of safety, reckless operation of a vehicle and excessive speed, according to the police report.
Smith entered a not guilty plea through his attorney, Daniel Klonowski, on Friday. Klonowski did not immediately return a message from ESPN on Monday.
"We are aware of the situation and have spoken with JR about it," Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman said in a statement. "This is a personal matter that JR and his representatives will be handling as it works its way through the legal process."
Police gave Smith field sobriety tests, but the report does not include the results, nor does it say how fast Smith was allegedly driving, a Rocky River Municipal Court clerk told ESPN.
Smith is averaging 6.3 points on 33.3 percent shooting, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists through the Cavs' 2-1 start and is coming off the bench for the defending Eastern Conference champions.
The citation was earlier reported on Cleveland.com.
In 2009, Smith, then with the Denver Nuggets, was sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to reckless driving in a 2007 car crash that killed his friend. Sixty days of the sentence were suspended, and Smith served 24 days. He was also required to do 500 hours of community service.
