Being a professional athlete does not shield you from violence.
Despite spending years frequenting the New York club scene as a member of the New York Knicks, J.R. Smith, now with the Cleveland Cavaliers, knows violence like the stabbing of Indiana Pacer Chris Copeland can occur anywhere to anyone.
"Situations like that can happen anywhere," Smith told the media on Friday. "It just unfortunately happened to Chris Copeland in New York. As far as it happening, it could go down anywhere. It could be in the nicest places, it could be in the worst places. It's just one of those situations where you're at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Copeland suffered knife wounds to his abdomen and left elbow after he was attacked outside of the Chelsea club 1 OAK in New York early Wednesday morning. Atlanta Hawks players Thabo Sefolosha and Pero Antic face obstruction and disorderly conduct charges relating to the incident, as well as Sefolosha facing a resisting arrest charge and Antic a harassment charge.
Smith called 1 OAK, the place Copeland was attacked, one of his favorite places in New York, noting that it had a good vibe and celebrity guests.
"I've never seen anything like that at all," said Smith. "You hear about stuff like that all the time, but seeing it firsthand? I've never seen it."
Smith understands the desire of his fellow NBA players to go out and enjoy themselves.
"We fly in late all the time, so then we go out (late)," said Smith. "Guys like to have a good time. Just like the average college student. It just so happens that we got a lot of money, we're young and famous, and people want to see us and we like to be seen."
As for how Smith avoids trouble, he sticks to a few rules. Namely, not standing around outside an event by himself.
"For me, I feel like a target every time so I try to handle myself with care when I'm out and about," added Smith. "It's one of those situations when you're out at four in the morning, I'm not saying it's his fault by any means, but when you're out at four in the morning, there's no way you should be walking anywhere.
"Get in your car and go home or go wherever you're going. That's one of my cardinal rules. You just don't stand outside of the events like that. You just get in and go and keep it moving."
The Cavaliers are set to host the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
