The league plans to resume games on Saturday after the NBA postponed playoff games on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in response to Jacob Blake’s police shooting, according to a joint statement issued by the league and the NBPA. Three games will be played on Saturday, followed by three more on Sunday.
NBA schedule
29, Saturday
- Game 5 – Orlando Magic vs Milwaukee Bucks, 3:30 pm ET (ESPN)
- Game 5 – Oklahoma City Thunder Vs. Houston Rockets, 6:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
- Game 5 – Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 9 p.m. ET (TNT)
Sunday, August 30th
- Game 1 – Boston Celtics Vs. Toronto Raptors, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Game 6 – Los Angeles Clippers Vs. Dallas Mavericks, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Game 6 – Denver Nuggets Vs. Utah Jazz, 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
A player meeting Thursday morning was postponed after three playoff games were postponed, including a bucks-magic game, in which Milwaukee players walked out before the start of Game 5. The league’s board of governors also called Thursday morning to address Wednesday night’s walkouts in addition to what needs to happen next.
Some leaders on the Lakers roster, along with some players from other teams, are said to have stayed up early in the morning to get their issues out of the bubble. As a result of those negotiations, all players agreed to resume the season, Per Wojnarowski.
During a meeting Wednesday evening that included players and coaches, the Lakers and Clippers were in the minority of the teams that forced the season to end, According to Athletic’s Sham Charania. LeBron James told the meeting that he wanted the team owners to be more involved and take action.
Milwaukee’s walk-out ahead of Magic vs. Game 5 came in response to the shooting of an unarmed black man, Blake, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday. Shortly after making a statement not to play bucks, Rockets and Thunder decided not to play Lakers and Trail Blazers on Wednesday either.
Bucks owners Mark Lasery, Wes Addens and Jamie Dinah released the following joint statement:
“We fully support our players and the decision they made. Even though we didn’t know in advance, we would have agreed with them wholeheartedly. The only way to bring about change is to shed light on the racial injustice that is happening to us.” We will stand with them and demand responsibility and change. “
Many NBA players and coaches have spoken out heavily since Blake’s shooting, and early Wednesday the Toronto Raptors discussed the possibility of sitting 1 game in their second-round match-up against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
Coaches such as Doc Reverse have made emotional statements in response to Blake’s shooting. To say hatefully“We continue to love this country and this country does not love us back.” Rappers guard Fred Vanville told the media on Tuesday that players would have to put in something to lose “instead of money or visibility” to make a difference. “Sitting in sports, he makes a definite statement that the players are sick and have never tired of changing anything in terms of police brutality against black people in this country.
Follow along as we keep you updated on what’s going on in the current situation.
