'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Shaquille O'Neal was the latest superstar figure to opine on the debacle that took place between Hollywood legends Will Smith and Chris Rock.
Speaking on The Big Podcast, Shaq applauded Chris Rock for being the bigger man and not retaliating to Will Smith slapping him. O'Neal said:
"There's two sides of what Chris should have done. He was the bigger man, very corporate, didn't do nothing, back came with a joke right away, that's why I thought it was fake cause he is like, 'wow, Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me'. Kudos to him for having the Martin Luther King mentality, take it on the cheek and continue to be peaceful."
Shaq also spoke about how he would have handled things if he was in the place of Chris Rock. Shaquille O'Neal continued:
"Now, what I would have did, I would have told the people 'lock the door'. There's nobody leaving until I get the hold of him. If Denzel and Tyler Perry get in the way, they gonna get these hands. Ain't no way you smack me, turn around and go sit down. I got to see you immediately, if I don't see you immediately cause the corporate side kick in cause I don't wanna lose all the endorsement that I got, I'mma see your ass at the back."
Shaquille O'Neal and the NBA world reacts to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock
To say that the NBA world was in shock after the moment between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the Oscars would be a massive understatement as the superstars of the league flooded to Twitter to make their feelings known about the altercation between two Hollywood legends on live television.
Like Shaquille O'Neal, superstars in the NBA like Draymond Green, Steph Curry, Damian Lillard and Kevin Love all took to the social media platform to air their thoughts on the fiasco and it naturally received a lot of attention from folks all over the globe.
The two professions have always been intertwined for quite some time now as Hollywood superstars like Denzel Washington, Jack Nicholson and Spike Lee are almost always in attendance in some of the big games the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks play in, especially the Lakers during the years of Shaq and Kobe Bryant.
Either way, this is a moment that will stand the test of time as superstar Will Smith finally wins his first Oscar and yet the talking point of the night will always be him going up on stage and slapping comedian Chris Rock.
Guess the Lakers players!
