'Basketball Wives' Nia Crooks -- Jennifer Wanted to Get Slapped!

If you get smacked in the face on reality TV, it's your own damn fault ... this according to "Basketball Wives" star Nia Crooks in her response to a lawsuit by a fellow cast member.

If you recall, "BB Wives" co-star Jennifer Williams filed a suit against Crooks -- claiming she suffered emotional distress and mental anguish after being hit upside the head on an episode of the VH1 show.

Now Crooks has fired back at the "face-slap" lawsuit -- claiming that Williams brought the slap on herself by the way she behaved.

In court docs filed by Crooks' lawyer, Javier Solano, she claims the slap was "caused in whole or in part by the culpable conduct, carelessness, contributory negligence or assumption of risk of [Williams]." In other words, Williams is just as much to blame for getting herself smacked.

Crooks also says Williams' injuries are bogus and is asking the judge to dismiss the suit entirely.

FYI -- in case you forgot the epic face-slap, you can re-live it here.