76ers’ Mike Scott calls the NBA jersey message plan a “bad hit”

Philadelphia 76ers forward Mike Scott said the NBA that provides players with a list of phrases to put on their backs of their shirts when the season starts again in Orlando, Florida, later this month, rather than allowing players to choose what they meant, it was a “bad lady”.

“They gave us some names and phrases to put on the back of the shirts. It was terrible. It was just a bad chance, a bad choice,” Scott said on Monday during a conference call with reporters. “They didn’t give players the chance to express our views on it; they just gave us a list to choose from. So it was bad, it was terrible.

“I’m just doing, instead of saying and publishing, or putting something on the back of your shirt. I don’t think it will stop anything, you know?”

Marc J. Spears of Undefeated reported on Friday that the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association had agreed on the following list of suggested messages: Black Lives Matter; Say their names; Vote; I can not breathe; Justice; Peace; Equality; Freedom; Enough; Power to the people; Justice Now; Say his name; Yes Se Puede (Yes, we can); Liberation; See you; Hear; respect us; You love us; Listen; Hear; Standing; Ally; Anti-racist; I’m a man; Speak; How many more; Group economy; Education reform; and mentor.

Speaking on a separate call on Monday, Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown had some other suggestions he wished the league would allow players to use.

“There are a lot of things. I know they all have different reasons why they are playing … Four hundred and fifty kids, or at least many will be there, they are sending everything they feel would add to that list and understand the group that is going over there,” said Brown.

“What I’d like to personally see there? Maybe ‘Break The Cycle’, putting it on the back of your shirt. ‘Results’, what everyone is really playing for. ‘Design inequality’, maybe. Things like it could have an impact deeper than some of the things that were provided to us. I think it was a little limiting. “

NBA players are expected to start arriving at Walt Disney World Resort on Tuesday and teams will continue to arrive until Thursday. The teams will have about three weeks to accelerate and play three scrimmages, before the games start on July 30th.

Scott said it will not be easy to return to the mentality of focusing on basketball again after all that has happened in the world in recent months – from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that closed the league on March 11 to protests for social justice and against racial inequality and police brutality in the past six weeks.

“You’re trying to change your mindset from what’s going on and being with your family and making sure you’re safe – racism, [coronavirus] – and then switch on and on to go to Orlando and play basketball. “Easier said than done,” said Scott. “Most people would probably want to say, ‘This is — it should be easy. Just think of basketball.”

“But I don’t know, man, it’s hard to think about it after what has happened in the past two months. I’ve been dealing with this and I’m just trying to train every day and prepare my mind for Orlando, but at the same time , how can you not concentrate on everything else?

“We’re just going outside, ‘We’ll see.’ I can only go out of what people say, explaining what it will be like over there and giving us ideas of what will happen. I don’t know anything until I get off and see. “