“He was the bigger man”: When Shaquille O'Neal praised Chris Rock for ‘Martin Luther King’ mentality after getting slapped by Will Smith
Shaquille O'Neal was in awe at the way Chris Rock handled being slapped by Will Smith. The situation, which occurred way back in March of 2022, immediately went viral, sparking reactions from athletes and fans alike. According to Shaquille O'Neal, if he had been in Chris Rock's shoes, things would have played out quite differently.
At the time, Rock stood on stage baffled, digesting what had just happened for a moment before then cracking a joke. While many praised him for his composure, it's safe to say that Smith would have been in for a rough night had it been the four-time NBA champ up there.
With the situation back in headlines in the present day after Jada Pinkett Smith stated that Rock actually asked her out amid divorce rumors, let's look back at O'Neal's comments. At the time, he spoke on an episode of his Big Podcast, where he opened up on the matter:
"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."
How Shaquille O'Neal would have responded in Chris Rock's position
While O'Neal admired the way that Chris Rock responded to the situation, his reaction would have been quite different. While the NBA legend is known as being the 'funny guy' in the locker room, it wasn't always that way.
As a kid, Shaquille O'Neal was a self-proclaimed bully. It wasn't until he realized that he could get people to like him by being the 'funny guy.' Thanks to the guiding hand of his father, Sgt. Philip Arthur Harrison, O'Neal changed his ways, and his life, for the better.
With that said, had he been in Chris Rock's position, his 'funny guy' persona would have gone out the window from the sounds of things. As he explained on The Big Podcast:
"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."
Fortunately for Will Smith, it wasn't Shaquille O'Neal on the other end of the slap.