Being one of the greatest basketball players of all time isn't the first thing that comes to mind when I think of him. He is an actor, writer, activist, ambassador, and creator of the most efficient and unguardable shots basketball has ever seen.
His most recent take on what happened between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the Oscars was an airball.
On Monday,Cap wrote a piece titled, Will Smith Did a Bad, Bad Thing and explained why he feels that. Since Sunday night, there have been countless think pieces, columns, and takes. Everyone has something to say about the slap and feels that his or her opinion deserves a chance in the conversation.
It would be pointless to try to change someone's mind about Smith, Rock, or Jada. People feel how they feel no matter how crazy or stupid their take is. This moment gave us information on who can and can't fight, who has and hasn't been in a physical confrontation, and who will defend themselves if need be. Don't look for common ground here.
Abdul-Jabbar wrote that it was annoying, condescending, and belittling to Black America. It was an outdated take that too many older Black people have about respectability politics, and how the actions of one Black person are responsible for all Black people under the white gaze, which is most often times a racist one that won't change.
From everything I've seen of Pinkett Smith, she's a very capable, tough, smart woman who can single-handedly take on a joke at the Academy Awards show. It doesn't mean that you have to constantly be the butt of someone's joke and an paid prop for the public's entertainment.
The Black community takes a direct hit from Smith. One of the main talking points from those in favor of systemic racism in America is that Blacks are less able to control their emotions and are more prone to violence. Smith gave comfort to the enemy by providing them with the perfect equipment. The slap between two Black men did more damage than what we had to watch in the Supreme Court.
A man who has a son that was sentenced to 180 days in jail last year for stabbing his neighbor over a dispute about trash cans got this from him.
This isn't a situation where an older person scolds a younger generation for not living up to a standard or is yelling from his yard. He punched down, which is something he has done before. He was upset at James for dancing after hitting a dagger 3-pointer against the Pacers in overtime.
Why do you need to do a stupid dance? It doesn't make sense, Abdul-Jabbar asked.
Why are you upset that the man that is going to dethrone you as the game's all-time leading scorer is still having fun?
A man that became an icon by always being on the forefront of important things has often been concerned with trivial matters.
It will be difficult to watch Will Smith at the Oscars because he has always been a fan of him.
What if we all did that? People were judged for one mistake instead of seeing their full humanity. If we did, it would mean that the greatest center of all time would be remembered for his bad takes and not the champion he was.
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