NBA legend and civil rights activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has taken actor Will Smith to task for Smith's infamous slap of Oscars host Chris Rock.
Kareem took to his Substack page to denounce Smith's stunt, in a piece titled "Will Smith Did a Bad, Bad Thing."
The Basketball Hall of Famer, who once appeared on Smith's hit TV show "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," said he has long been friendly with Smith and doesn't want him "punished or ostracized."
But Smith's stunt "was also a blow to men, women, the entertainment industry, and the Black community," he explained.
Perhaps worst of all, according to Kareem, Smith's open-handed slap and profane berating of Rock "brought back the Toxic Bro ideal:"
What is the legacy of Smith’s violence? He’s brought back the Toxic Bro ideal of embracing Kobra Kai teachings of “might makes right” and “talk is for losers.” Let’s not forget that this macho John Wayne philosophy was expressed in two movies in which Wayne spanked grown women to teach them a lesson. Young boys—especially Black boys—watching their movie idol not just hit another man over a joke, but then justify it as him being a superhero-like protector, are now much more prone to follow in his childish footsteps. Perhaps the saddest confirmation of this is the tweet from Smith’s child Jaden: “And That’s How We Do It.”
Previously a longtime contributor to the Huffington Post and other national news outlets, Abdul-Jabbar subsequently launched his Substack page in September 2021.
He has a long list of film and TV credits to his name, including minor roles in hit movies such as "Airplane," "Fletch," and "Baseketball," and cameo appearances on episodes of "Diff'rent Strokes," "21 Jump Street," "Full House," "Scrubs," "The Simpsons," and "The Big Bang Theory."
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