LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – As he knelt and closed his arms during the national anthem Thursday night, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James not only protested systemic racism. He also wanted to send a message to former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
© Mike Ehrmann, AP
LeBron James, of the Los Angeles Lakers, wears a Black Lives Matter jersey while pointing and kneeling with his teammates during the national anthem before his first game in the NBA bubble.
“I hope we have made Kaep proud. I hope we continue to make Kaep proud every day. I hope to make him proud of how I live my life, not only on the basketball court but also off the court, ”James said after the Lakers’ 103-101 victory over the Clippers on Thursday. “I have been someone who always talks about things that I feel are unfair. If I am educated in things, I always do it that way. So Kaep was someone who stood up when times were not comfortable, and people either didn’t understand or refused to listen to what he said. “
Four years ago, Kaepernick knelt for the first time during the national anthem to protest racial inequality and police brutality. But he received an immediate reaction amid charges that he did not respect the flag and the military when conducting a peaceful protest during the national anthem.
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“It had absolutely nothing to do with the flag, it had absolutely nothing to do with the soldiers, the men and women who keep our land free,” said James. “He explained that and the ears were uncomfortable. People never listened. They refused to listen and I did.”
James may have listened, but did not immediately follow up on Kaepernick’s actions. When some NFL players followed Kaepernick’s gesture in 2017, James resisted. The reason? James told reporters: “My voice and what I do in my community is more powerful than kneeling down.”
The other unspoken reality. The NBA established a rule in 1981 that “players, coaches, and coaches must stand and line up in a dignified posture along the foul lines” during the national anthem. At the time, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he expected league members to follow that rule. Those in the NBA obeyed in part because they appreciated the league allowing them to talk about these issues anyway.
“I just don’t think at the time I wasn’t fully educated,” said James. “Strengthen the mind, read, listen, receive the best education possible in any situation, in whatever is happening. I have always been who I am. And until I am fully educated and fully aware of what is happening, then I make a call to action. I feel like at the time I wasn’t fully educated on the purpose, what is the purpose in question. And honestly, Kaep has taught me a lot about that. “
Sights and sounds inside the bubble.
With the league’s social justice efforts taking center stage during the restart, the NBA delivered poignant moments Thursday night. Before each game, the league played a PSA against the systemic racist. Then, players, coaches, employees and referees locked their arms and knelt during the national anthem.
Then pelicans and jazz knelt during the national anthem to protest systemic racism pic.twitter.com/0D2yTCxpjZ
– Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) July 30, 2020
The Lakers, Clippers and officials fold their arms and kneel to protest systemic racism during the national anthem. pic.twitter.com/AGQbxYvyjJ
– Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) July 31, 2020
Pelican phenomenon Zion Williamson was in the starting lineup after returning to the bubble and completing a four-day quarantine. He didn’t appear to have missed a step during the shutdown, but was still limited to 15 minutes on the floor during a loss in New Orleans. Cameras continued to find Williamson on the bench during the critical moment, leaving many observers confused.
PLACE
HE
IN
HE
GAME pic.twitter.com/0xFrqMB6xw
– The Ringer (@ringer) July 31, 2020
It reminds me of how the Pelicans had a minute limit for Zion, but none of those minutes includes the last three minutes. They had a winnable game and they totally screwed it up.
– Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) July 31, 2020
I can’t think of limited minutes for Zion that don’t include the contraction time when you’re trying to make the playoffs and you need every game.
– Dave DuFour (@DaveDuFourNBA) July 31, 2020
Zion’s minute restriction only cost the Pelicans a victory.
– Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) July 31, 2020
The arenas used on the Disney World campus are open to players to watch other teams play. Several players took the opportunity to watch the Lakers-Clippers play from the court. Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and Carmelo Anthony of the Trail Blazers and DeMar DeRozan of the Spurs were among those seen along a sideline.
Give me, CJ and Melo in the building for Lakers / Clippers 👀 pic.twitter.com/qGDZhz4KZ4
– NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) July 31, 2020
CJ, Dame, Melo and DeRozan prepare to watch Clippers / Lakers game 🔥
(@mcten) pic.twitter.com/UYqpaIwpEW
– NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) July 31, 2020
With up to seven games a day for the next two weeks, we hope to see more players as fans, and maybe even some hassles.
Thursday games
Jazz 106, Pelicans 104: Rudy Gobert sank a pair of free throws with 6.9 seconds remaining to give Utah victory in the first game of the Orlando restart.
Lakers 103, Clippers 101: LeBron James scored in a kick with 12 seconds remaining after rebounding his own foul to seal a Lakers victory moments after Paul George tied him for the Clippers with a whopping 3.
Friday schedule
All eastern times. All games available in League Pass.
- Magic against nets, 2:30
- Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers, 4 (NBATV)
- Suns against magicians, 4
- Celtics vs. Bucks, 6:30 (ESPN)
- Kings against spurs, 8
- Rockets vs. Mavericks, 9 (ESPN)
Playoff career status
With the season seriously resuming on Friday, the postseason image will begin to focus. After winning Thursday, the Lakers increased their lead to 6½ games over the Clippers at the top of the Western Conference and moved closer to securing first place.
After the first places, the race in each conference is tight. Currently, only five games separate seeds 2-7 in the West, with six teams below vying for the playoff final place. In the East, seeds 2-6 are changing, with three teams playing for the last two seeds.
Essential reading
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: After kneeling down during the national anthem, LeBron James hopes he has made Colin Kaepernick proud.
Gallery: Inside the NBA bubble: restart of the best of the season (USA TODAY)
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