NBA players didn’t miss the chance to call out Hollywood actor Will Smith after his infamous incident with Chris Rock. As NBA fans might know, Chris is also an actor and stand-up comedian. He was given the chance to host the Oscars back in 2022. However, a joke that Will Smith didn’t take very kindly too caused quite a lot of commotion.
We are clearly referring to the “GI Jane” joke Chris Rock made directed at Jada Smith. Although many considered this joke to be lighthearted, Will Smith wasn’t one of them as he felt Chris was making fun of his wife’s hair condition. In any case, he proceeded to slap Chris on the stage during the Oscar awards.
The internet exploded following this and countless people shared their thoughts and opinions on this situation. That also includes NBA players who found out about the slap. Let us find out which players reacted and how they felt about what Will Smith had done.
NBA players empathized with Chris Rock after he got slapped by Will Smith
If anybody knows what it is like to get hit in the face when least expecting it, they would be NBA players. Several prominent players across the league found out that Will Smith had slapped Chris Rock and instantly got on social media to share their thoughts.
While some of the players certainly felt that the slap was unwarranted, they were quite amused and took the situation lightly when compared to the rest of the world. Hawks star Trae Young found Chris’s plight quite amusing, “He gonna cry in the car.”
“He gonna cry in the car”😂😂
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) March 28, 2022
Rudy Gay from the Utah Jazz also shared his thoughts, “Shout out to Chris Rock for not rubbing his face after the smack…. I know he wanted too.” Additionally, even major NBA stars like Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard also reacted to this unexpected slap.
Shout out to Chris Rock for not rubbing his face after the smack…. I know he wanted too
— Rudy Gay (@RudyGay) March 28, 2022
This was loud!!! Like that slap on that other channel 👀 https://t.co/y7dudEWsAQ
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) March 28, 2022
Lot of mfs need this… https://t.co/maQFqEZCUz
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) March 28, 2022
Although the players didn’t really attack Will Smith, they certainly weren’t defending him either. The only NBA personality to do so was former Celtics star, Kendrick Perkins. He sent out a message reminding the world that there would always be consequences for messing with a man’s family.
“Y’all can say what’s y’all want about Will Smith but need to learn that a lot of people don’t play about their Wife or Children! Real Talk.”
Y’all can say what’s y’all want about Will Smith but need to learn that a lot of people don’t play about their Wife or Children! Real Talk.
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) March 28, 2022
While a few fans agreed with Perkins, the majority called him out for blindly defending Will Smith for his actions. After all, Chris is a professional entertainer who was just doing his job. Not some creep on the streets passing lewd comments about Will’s wife or children.
