Everybody’s mouth fell wide open as Will Smith walked onstage and slapped Chris Rock right across the face at the 94th Academy Awards. The event got the term coined Slapgate, also famously known as “The Slap Heard Around the World”. Smith lost his control because his emotions got the better of him. This came after Rock joked about Jada Smith’s alopecia. With such a public display of rage, the night was something that shocked all the attendees at the Oscars. 

As this became a global event, Abdul Kareem-Jabbar weighed his thoughts in his newsletter on Substack. The American basketball player took to his Substack account and wrote a piece titled, Will Smith Did a Bad, Bad Thing. Having garnered millions, Jabbar recently opened up about why he chose to write about this.

The NBA superstar gets candid about Will Smith in his new article

Jabbar recently spoke up about why he wrote about the Smith-Rock fiasco. In a recent article on the ‘Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’ substack, he said that he was “uneasy” about talking on this matter because of the potential backlash he could face. He believed that Smith was his dear friend, but his actions led to the detriment of the Black community. It aided the prejudice that people held about the African American community.

The former Lakers player condemned the action, but gently provided support to the actor too. He had written that although the slap was a big mistake; it was not the basis to bring down one’s whole career. He also commended the Oscar host’s graceful handling of the situation.  

Jabbar addressed a real problem: some folks rooting for celebrities, especially women and people of color, stumble and fall. He knew The Pursuit of Happyness actor was a genuine and caring person who messed up in front of a massive audience. He did not want to perpetuate the hate that the Black community receives but wanted to speak up about what was right. 

Smith eventually apologized in a video, but his apology didn’t sit well with Chris Rock, who called it a “hostage video“ during a stand-up set. Meanwhile, the days that followed the 2022 Oscars saw fans storming the internet with memes and clips, and actors joined in with their opinions too. 

The aftermath of the slap echoed 

The night after the Slapgate took some interesting turns. Comedian Jim Carrey expressed his disgust about Smith receiving applause for an award hours after it happened at the Oscars.

On the other hand, Tatyana Ali and Marlon Wayans showed support for Smith. And all this while, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar condemned the action but continued to root for him. Needless to say, more than a year later, even though it is not buzzing as much as it is last year, the slap still echoes and leaves masses divided with their takes on the matter.

What are your thoughts on the perspectives shared by Kareem? Let us know in the comments!