NBA players promised to use the NBA bubble reset to speak out for social justice.
Donovan Mitchell showed exactly what he looks like during the premiere of the bubble on Thursday.
Mitchell’s Utah Jazz earned a dramatic victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in the first game at Disney World. He brought a bulletproof vest to the platform of his victor’s press conference.
Why?
Let Mitchell explain.
‘Am I next?’
A statement: Donovan Mitchell has a bulletproof vest.
The vest features the names of numerous people killed due to police brutality.
Add the quote “Am I next?” pic.twitter.com/wUp1QYYNQk– Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) July 31, 2020
“I have almost every possible name for everyone who died from police brutality and police violence,” Mitchell told Taylor Rooks of Turner Sports as he showed off his unorthodox outfit after the game. “There was a quote that said ‘Am I next?’ on the back of someone’s shirt. No matter how much money you have or how famous you are, as an African American man, that’s who we are. “
Mitchell’s statement came after all Jazz and Pelicans players knelt during the national anthem before the game.
Donovan Mitchell made it clear what the athletes’ protest movement is about. (Ashley Landis-Pool / Getty Images)
This is the message
Ever since Colin Kaepernick began kneeling in a San Francisco 49ers uniform, the message of protest for police brutality against blacks has been distorted into a false narrative about the military and patriotism.
In his bulletproof vest, Mitchell made the message crystal clear. Blacks in America are tired of being scared for their lives because of the color of their skin.
“It doesn’t matter what your job is, what your name is,” Mitchell continued. “Being able to wear a bulletproof vest only shows that we also have our hands up, just like our hands up, don’t shoot. We are tired of seeing this. … We are tired of being afraid “
Mitchell was one of the first voices to speak on the NBA bubble reboot. It won’t be the last.
