People are understandably on edge as a result of the coronavirus pandemic combined with the epidemic of protests popping up across the country.
Within that environment, it doesn’t take much to set folks off, as we see in a video showing NBA star J.R. Smith’s brutal beatdown of a White man who vandalized his truck near the Los Angeles demonstration.
Smith is best known as LeBron James’ teammate who played an integral role in helping the Cleveland Cavs secure the team’s first-ever NBA title in 2016. He also played several high-profile years in New York.
The free agent became irate on Sunday, May 31, 2020, when a random White man busted the window to his SUV during the LA protests and tried to take off. But Smith remains in NBA shape, and he quickly chased the man down and administered a brutal whupping that was captured by a bystander.
Later in the day, Smith took to Instagram live to explain the trampling in his typical profane manner, according to Fox Sports.
“One of these motherf—ing White boys didn’t know where he was going and broke my f—ing window in my truck. Broke my s—,” he says. “This is a residential area, no stores over here, none of that s—.
“I chased him down and whupped his a–. This ain’t no hate crime. I ain’t got no problem with nobody who ain’t got no problem with me. This is a problem with the system. He didn’t know whose window he broke, and he got his ass whupped.”
Later in the weekend in metro LA, Sports Illustrated said Smith donned a more tranquil disposition as he coasted along the sunbathed and tree-lined streets with King James and Anthony Davis in the City of Angels.
Nothing to see here… just LeBron, AD and JR Smith taking a ride through LA 🚲
(via instakyle | IG) pic.twitter.com/uIxqPmIAEt
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 31, 2020
Literally and figuratively, that vicious pummeling was now in Smith’s rearview mirror. To be fair, Smith did go onto the “Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, June 1, to express contrition for losing it and beating the man.
Flip the page to see Smith laying hands — and feet — on the man who vandalized his car.
