Cleveland Cavaliers star JR Smith has shared some words of advice with his fellow NBA players after the Chris Copeland stabbing incident earlier this week.
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Smith was known for his tendency to party during his spell with the New York Knicks, but since moving to Cleveland he has been a changed man and insists that he focuses solely on basketball.
While that has resulted in a positive impact on his displays on the court, it has led him to share some advice with his fellow NBA players after Indiana Pacers star Copeland was stabbed in New York on Wednesday morning.
The 31-year-old has since reportedly left hospital and is making a recovery, but that didn’t prevent questions from being asked as to what he was doing out so late and how he became involved in the situation.
Smith says Copeland shouldn’t be blamed at all for the incident, but he did explain what NBA players need to do in order to avoid being put in that position.
“For me, I feel like a target every time,” Smith said, according to ESPN.
“So, I try to handle myself with care when I’m out and about. It’s one of those situations when you’re out at 4 in the morning — I’m not saying it’s [Copeland’s] fault by any means — but when you’re out at 4 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 don’t just stand outside of the events like that. You just get in and go and keep it moving.”
While Copeland did apologise for being out so late, his attacker has been arrested while Atlanta Hawks pair Pero Antic and Thabo Sefolosha will continue to be part of the investigation after both were arrested for preventing police from setting up a crime scene.
Sefolosha has since been ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken leg, as video footage emerged showing him being arrested which is believed to be when the injury was sustained.
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