Chris Boucher: Social media criticism can push you to the edge

On the latest episode of Hustle Play, Chris Boucher reveals some of the hate-fuelled messages he has received on social media and explains why it's so important for an NBA player to have perspective when dealing with criticism from fans and media.

Video Transcript

CHRIS BOUCHER: I have to be what you want me to be. If I don't say hi to you right now, it's because I'm a dick. No, but guess what, if I wasn't playing basketball, you wouldn't want to say hi to me either. It's because of who I am now. OK, that's cool. But at the end of the day, if I'm going through something, I am still living my life and I'm not going to be, because I'm Chris Boucher today, going to act differently of what I would act any other day in my life.

And that's the situation that we deal with right now. It's just people want to put you in trouble. People are just-- people want you to do what they want they see you for. And that's the issue. And the betting is not going to make it better now with the parlays and all that.

Clearly, I'm-- man, I'm so over this, man. People are literally-- I got called. Somebody said I choose the wrong slave today, literally sent me that message. I had to read it. I couldn't believe it.

- Really?

CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah. He said, I chose the wrong slave because I had only 5 points, and he needed me to score 10.

- That's--

CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah, so it's at this point now. And now, guess what, the players now they don't really mess with the fans as much. We got-- we're lucky we're in Toronto, and we got the best fans. But I'm saying, imagine if you get messages like this. Now, you don't really want to-- you don't why that person is talking to you. I need you to score 10 today.

Do I really want to talk to you now? Because if I score 8, you're going to flame my Twitter, my Instagram, and everything.

ALVIN WILLIAMS: And that's the difference. You're talking about generations, man. When you talk about a lot of older generations, my generation and before me, they come down on your generation. But we have no idea about what you guys go through from the platforms you guys have, the social media, the access people can get to you and say certain things. They couldn't do that to--

We could do whatever we-- like the jiving, like we said, that would have never happened. That would have never got seen. That would have never got seen. People did some heinous things back then. I remember-- I'll never forget the story. They talk about Charles Barkley grabbed somebody, threw somebody through a bar window. A lot of things, man, a lot of things-- but never got publicized--

So you can live your life. You can go do something crazy the night before and go out the next day and not have to worry about it. They can't do that. So that type of pressure, that's a different type of pressure where people know, and people know who you are. They know what you did. They can get a hold of you, especially in their position.

So I do not envy today's generation from that standpoint at all, man. That's tough.

- Yeah, and it's crazy because Chris says-- Chris told me something a few years ago. I don't think we ever said it before. But it's pretty crazy because we talk about players, right? And we talk about some of them coming out, like Kevin Love and DeMar talking about mental health.

And Chris said something to me one time. And maybe you weren't playing well or something and people were writing stuff. And he said, I can see why somebody would want to kill themselves over social media.

CHRIS BOUCHER: Especially if you need it.

- They can-- it can get that bad. You know what I mean? I'm sorry. What were you going to say, Chris?

CHRIS BOUCHER: I mean, especially if you feed off of it-- a lot of us do it for different stuff. A lot of us do it for the fame. Those are [INAUDIBLE] reason. If you're doing it for money and you're trying to feed your family and try to get an empire or whatever, OK, that's a reason.

Some people do it for the fame. Some people just wants to be-- they want to be talked about. They need it every day. And if you get to that point where you're stuck and you get caught in that moment, when you're up it's amazing. You can scroll on Twitter and see everything they say about you, how nice you are.

When it's bad, it's bad. And they're going to go at a point where like, it might be people you know. And guess what, now when you see them, you might do something you would never do. You know what I'm saying? Or say something you never do and put yourself in a position where you should have never been in--

And that's the thing is that I could see why somebody could literally lose their mind. And it affects their basketball now because they're like, people are saying I'm not shooting the ball well. So I'm going to go in the game and take five bad shots. Now you're not playing. Now you're all messed up in your head. Why am I not playing?

Well, guess what, you're on Twitter, reading what they're saying. But you're not doing the right thing. Now you're not playing. Now you're going to be out of the league. Now you're not playing no more. Now you're like, why I'm not playing. You're still on Twitter, saying-- watching people saying why you're not in the league and how trash you are.

It gets to you. It gets to you. Now it's what, you're going to delete all your social and all that? Now you're losing your life, the life that you'd be living. And everything changed.

So I could see how somebody could lose their mind over this really clearly. If you don't have the right people around you and if you don't have the right motive and the right intention on everything you do, you could lose that easily.

ALVIN WILLIAMS: So how do you cope with that? How do you combat that? Is it just the world you live in? What do you suggest a young person do because that's their world, right?

CHRIS BOUCHER: I mean, you've got-- there's so many great things about the game and about being in the NBA that you could literally-- obviously, you want to go out sometime. You want attention sometimes. But I think one thing that I've done a good job with is knowing what makes me happy. And those are not the things that make me happy.

Obviously, it's there and it's cool. But I'm a video game guy. Playing video games is the same thing as somebody saying on Twitter that I'm nice. I'm having the same fun. So I relate to those things. So it saves me from wanting to be in the talks and wanting somebody to want to make Chris Boucher like an All-Star or whatever.

At this point, I'm realistic with myself. I know what I've done. I know where I'm at. I know what I could do and what I can't do. And whatever is in between, I try to have fun with it so it doesn't get to a point where I'm searching and trying to do more than what I am or what I like.

ALVIN WILLIAMS: It's funny, I ask that because I've got a 17-year-old daughter. And she's starting to get on the social media side. But I come from a place where I'm like, man, you're tripping, don't worry about that. But I can't disregard that because--

- Yeah.

ALVIN WILLIAMS: --it's serious. like your-- this is where-- how y'all communicate. Sometimes it's validation. You've got to check yourself as a parent if you're doing the right things to help them gain confidence, especially as a young Black girl. And you know what I mean? Just like a lot of things--

But I can't disregard something that I don't know nothing about. So just because I don't know nothing about the social media pressures and all that, I can't just be like, I don't feel good and just be like, man, don't trip on that. They just-- they don't matter or whatever the case, especially if she's tying into it. So that's why I asked. I'm about to just take the phone and just heave that bitch and just, she can't have it no more.

- No, I hear you.

ALVIN WILLIAMS: Can't do that. That ain't going to work either.

- No, it's a serious topic, man.

ALVIN WILLIAMS: No, it's serious.

- And I appreciate you guys opening up and talking about it.