IFWT_Smush
Former Lakers guard Smush Parker is denying any assault took place during a pick up basketball game in New York City. It was reported yesterday that he got into a dispute with a 16 year old during a game and the dispute let to Parker punching the kid in the face and getting alot of bad press. However Smush and his manager are denying that ever happened and turns out the father of the kid is the host of a tv show and just might be trying to get a little extra attention for his son, who is being recruited by some division I colleges. Hit the jump.

@IamJoeSports

Via TMZ

Ex-L.A. Lakers player Smush Parker is adamant … he did NOT slug a 16-year-old high school kid in the face during a pickup game in NYC this week — claiming it was just a hard foul.

Parker has been under fire after reports surfaced that he got into it with prep star Wolfgang Novogratz last week — and punched the kid in the face during a heated exchange.

But Parker’s manager James Hunt says it’s all B.S. — claiming there WAS a hard foul between the two … but no punch was ever thrown.

“Smush did not punch him in the face. It wasn’t no assault or anything like that. It was a hard foul. He didn’t hit anybody.”

In fact, Parker believes the kid’s father — who happens to be the host of the HGTV show “House By Novogratz” — is intentionally trying to blow the incident out of proportion to get some publicity for his son.

“The kid’s father is trying to use Smush’s name as a stepping stone to promote his son to be recruited by these high level Division 1 colleges,” Hunt says.

Hunt says Parker has not reached out to Novogratz about the incident — because he didn’t think it was a big deal at the time, but says, “If the kid needs to be reached out to, those things will definitely take place if need be.”