« Whole new game » : that’s the slogan – “A brand new game” – chosen by the NBA to celebrate the resumption of the basketball championship in the United States, Thursday, July 30. There is no doubt that, 140 days after the forced end of the competition, this return to the game will not look anything like what the very popular American league usually offers: due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the teams are gathered at Disney World, in Orlando (Florida), and will compete behind closed doors under strict conditions of protection.
But beyond the health challenge, the NBA must also take up a mission that it has assigned itself: to serve as an example and megaphone to maintain the breath of the Black Lives Matter movement. (“Black lives matter”), returned to the fore after the death of George Floyd, an African-American killed during his arrest by police in Minneapolis (Minnesota), on May 25.
“The league and the players are uniquely positioned to have a direct impact in combating systemic racism in our country, and we ensure that we will engage collectively to build a more egalitarian and just society.” NBA boss Adam Silver said.
Behind this consensus, the dialogue has not always been fluid: a few weeks ago, several players threatened to boycott the resumption of the championship, judging that it distracted the public’s attention from the fight against racial inequalities.
“I don’t know if the recovery will impact the current protests, Judge Damion Thomas, curator of sports at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, but I do not remember a historical moment that was slowed down because of sport. “
The protest movement, led by Kyrie Irving, has also run out of steam – no package today is for political reasons – and we will never know if the player of the Brooklin Nets would have been at the end of his logic if he had not been injured. He nevertheless announced to pay 1.5 million dollars (1.3 million euros) to the few players of the WNBA (the women’s championship) who do not participate in the resumption of their season.
Some players will also donate part of their salaries to associations, such as Australia’s Patty Mills (San Antonio Spurs), who will distribute more than $ 1 million to organizations fighting against racism in her country.
No slogan on LeBron James jersey
How, as a sports league and a business, does the NBA, of which nearly 80% of the players are black, get involved? She first decided to make the Black Lives Matter reference appear on the match floor. Players can also replace their name on their shirts with one of the thirty or so “slogans” proposed by the league and their union. The French Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz) and Evan Fournier (Orlando Magic) have thus respectively opted for “equality” (equality) and “justice”.
This initiative hit a hitch when superstar LeBron James gave up on doing away with his own name. “I don’t need to have something on the back of my jersey for people to understand my mission or know who I am and what I do”, he justified, also making it clear that he would have liked to have had his say.
The Los Angeles Lakers player is known for his long-standing commitment to the African-American cause, and he notably called, at a press conference, for the arrest of the police officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor, a young black woman killed in his apartment during a search in March.
One of the risks the NBA faces is being overwhelmed by player initiatives. The main fear concerns the possibility of seeing some of them kneeling down during the national anthem, a gesture relaunched in 2016 by the American football player Colin Kaepernick to denounce the police violence.
NBA texts require players to stand with respect to the flag, but would the league allow an exception? “I’m not comfortable with the word ‘authorize’, a expliqué Adam Silver. But I also understand the importance of protesting and I think we will handle the situation when it arises. “
The WNBA’s women’s season opener on Saturday, July 25, provided a taste: the players from New York and Seattle left the field, boycotting the national anthem. No sanction has been pronounced but some players have already announced that they want to continue the process.
A political showcase
What the NBA wants is to send a lasting message and mark a profound change, including within it. Symbolically, it granted paid leave to its employees on June 19, the anniversary of the emancipation of slaves in the United States, and transferred links to them for information on the subject.
She pledged to increase the representation of black people on her staff and make sure to work more with businesses run by people of color.
An approach that surprises Chris Elise, a French photographer who has been surveying the American parquet floors for fifteen years: “The NBA is not an organization that has a problem with racism or discrimination. If she says today that she has a sincere awareness, does that mean that she has not been for years by doing for example the “Black History Month”? ”
In fact, the league has been involved for a long time, notably through “NBA Voices” or “NBA Cares”, action programs to promote diversity and fight against social injustice. She has just announced the creation of a foundation, with an estimated investment of $ 300 million, which will give the players’ union the opportunity to decide which associations to help.
“The work has only just begun”
The NBA seems to want to become a political showcase, like the positions taken by iconic San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich. “We need to educate inside our clubs. Even young black players on my team do not know the tragedy of Tulsa ”, said, referring to the biggest lynching in American history, Tony Parker’s ex-mentor to Spurs.
By getting so involved, the NBA runs the risk of failing to meet its own demands and being criticized for grabbing the ball on the jump to look good. “I don’t want to make any promises. The work has only just started and I think it will be fair to judge us for what has been done in the next few years ”, tempered Adam Silver.
“The NBA can clearly make a difference, it is involved”, rejoices Jerry Lamont Mitchell, who comes daily to pat the orange ball on an American “playground” in Long Beach (California). “It’s a cover that leaves me a little bitter, says his partner of the day, Sean Carson. You might think this is a good idea but it shows once again the power of the system, the benefits of which will go to the upper class to which we do not belong, as black people. “
