After the Bucks began a strike in pursuit of racial justice, NBA players suspected their meeting was split yesterday. Most teams voted to continue the playoffs. LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard led the Lakers and Clippers in opposition.
But players found common ground through the night and decided: They will start the season again
ESPN Adrian Wojnarowski:
The NBA players have decided to resume the playoffs, a source told ESPN.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 27, 2020
Today’s three playoff games are postponed, a source told ESPN. Discussion going on when teams go up again. https://t.co/A2PazNKDhy
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 27, 2020
There’s a meeting of NBA owners and players set for later today, sources said @MarcJSpears and me. From the discussion, action plans are expected to include advances on issues of social justice.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 27, 2020
Shams Charania from The Athletic:
Sources: NBA players – and league – are aiming to resume Friday games.
– Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 27, 2020
ESPN Tim MacMahon:
Sources: There will be another meeting later today with two players per team. https://t.co/EghY102JcM
– Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) August 27, 2020
The Bucks had specific requirements – asking the Wisconsin State Legislature to address police accountability, police brutality, and criminal law reform.
Has there been any meaningful progress on that front? Have players benefited from this strike in addition to attention to their cause (which is not nothing, but is not necessarily a reason to end a strike that would continue with attention)?
It is unclear how popular this strike has ever been among players. The Bucks began this move without first getting other teams on board.
Despite talk of players boycotting the resumption before it began, about 98% of players reported to the bubble. None of the players sitting outside mentioned social justice as their primary consideration.
Police who shot Jacob Blake definitely shook players. But enough to change the play-as-not attitude of a critical mass of players when their salaries were on the line? Apparently not.
Some players could still drop the bell. It is perfectly understandable how someone would feel that he could not focus on basketball at a time like this and want to devote his energy to other causes. Anyone who makes that decision should be supported.
Most likely, the ongoing players will not reduce their salaries.
Current games – Jazz-Nuggets Game Game 6, Raptors-Celtics Game 1, Clippers-Mavericks Game 6 – being postponed would mean that each active series had postponed exactly one game. The whole schedule could just be brought back one day with only minor inconvenience.
By quickly deciding to return to work, players lose the ability to keep bigger profits. However, even if they did not get any concrete action now, the players attracted more attention to their problems by saving and and protecting their payroll services by reloading. That’s a victory.
