Historic day in the NBA. A milestone. The players decided to stop the competition and join the social protests raging in the US after the latest episode of police brutality in Wisconsin against the African-American Jacob Blake. The revolt was started by the Milwaukee Bucks, representatives of the state where the latest protests have started. “We are tired of the murders and injustice,” said guard George Hill in the staff statement. His team was locked in the locker room and they weren’t willing to go out to play.
“Despite the overwhelming request for change, there has been no action, so our attention today cannot be on basketball”Hill continued. To his right was Sterling Brown, a player who was knocked to the ground by police using a laser pistol and a police officer put his knee on the back of his neck after parking in a handicapped parking spot in 2018. “We demand justice for Jacob Blake and that officers are held accountable. We encourage all citizens to train themselves, carry out peaceful and responsible actions and we remind them to vote on November 3, “they sentenced.
The impact of this sit-in-strike has been abysmal and has been endorsed by athletes from some of the most important sports disciplines in the United States. It has crossed the world of the basket. The women of the WNBA joined the protest, as did the MLB for baseball and the NHL for hockey. Naomi Osaka resigned from playing the semifinal of the Cincinnati tennis tournament, which has also postponed her day. American sports joined the boycott, understanding that they now have other priorities.
On the track there was an overwhelming atmosphere. There the rivals of the Bucks, the Magic, warmed up, barely four minutes before the time the game was to begin, they decided to leave the court. The boycott was real. Milwaukee players stood up, not wanting to play, fed up with police violence and cases of officer shooting on black citizens that NBA players have also suffered. Before long, the Orlando team and the Bucks owner supported the decision.
Something was already suspected in the environment. The playoffs that are being played in the DisneyWorld bubble are very marked by the movement Black Lives Matter, booming after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police, now joined by a new crime that has further outraged NBA players. Frustration to see that his actions in the bubble were falling on deaf ears.
Everything pointed to the beginning of the boycotts today in the Celtics-Raptors, who had already been in favor of standing. Van Vleet and Tatum were very forceful in the previous one. I know a lot of guys have thought about going home. Being a black man in America is more important than what I do on the track »declared the forward.
However, everything rushed out last night. After the Bucks sit-in, came a cascade of reactions. There were many players who demonstrated in favor of the sit-in. Pau Gasol, Donovan Mitchell, Derozan … and of course, Lebron James. Fuck this man! We demand change. Tired of this, “said the Lakers star’s tweet.
FUCK THIS MAN!!!! WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT
LeBron James (@KingJames) August 26, 2020
Meanwhile, things of fate, arch-enemies Russel Westbrook and Chris Paul met to agree to a boycott in the Rockets-Thunder that was to be disputed next. NBA owners did it on their own. The play had caught them off the hook. They didn’t expect it, but they were forced to make decisions. Within a few minutes, heThe entity headed by Adam Silver issued a statement making official the postponement of the three matches of the day.
Lakers and Clippers want to leave
To find a precedent for these actions, we must go back to 1961 when Bill Russell, one of the best players in history, and several African-American teammates of the Boston Celtics refused to play a preseason game in Lexington, Kentucky after they were deny them service in a restaurant. «We demand change. We’re sick of it, ”LeBron James wrote on Twitter shortly after the Bucks sit-in.
The announced storm had only just begun. The players met around 2 in the morning. According to journalist Marc J. Spears, they connected in a video call with the relatives of Jakob Blake, in critical condition after being shot seven times by the forces of order.
Blessed with the technology, the audio failed and the relatives only remained listening to what the players were talking about. There were different positions. There are those who want to resume the competition for fear of the economic consequences where not everyone receives 7 million per year, the average salary. On the other side, Lakers and Clippers. Los Angeles teams voted to stop playing and leave the Orlando bubble.
The possibility of canceling the season is real. At 5 o’clock this afternoon, the talks resume. They will be the owners of the franchises, who a few months ago agreed to invest about 300 million over the next decade to promote the economic mobilization of African-American communities. Insufficient for the players.
The one who will not be will be Damian Lillard. The Blazers announced amid the storm, already turned into a tsunami, that their star would return to Portland to treat her right knee injury there. Perhaps a good thermometer of what is to come or perhaps a pure medical decision. What is certain is that this generation has decided to step forward, deflating the ‘bubble’ that until now has separated elite athletes from the rest of the world.
As many claimed and few had dared to do, NBA players have decided to bet on sport as a reflection of society and the movement for change. Lakers veteran JR Smith summed it up perfectly on social media. «Don’t you want to listen to us? Now you won’t be able to see us either ». Basketball moves out of focus and lights the fuse on the sport.
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