NBA players and coaches from four teams knelt during the national anthem Thursday night in the first set of games since the league halted its season during the coronavirus pandemic. Inspired by NFL free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the rally draws attention to racial injustice and police brutality.
In the first restart game of the season, between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Utah Jazz, players and coaches knelt during the performance of the national anthem of band leader “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”, Jon Batiste . Team members also wore Black Lives Matter shirts and closed arms.
Both Pelicans and Jazz issued statements in support of the protests. The Jazz, which won the 106-104 matchup, released a statement saying the organization stands behind its players, coaches and staff as they “exercise their First Amendment rights, and use their voices, their experiences and their platforms to express themselves peacefully.” . “
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In the next game, Los Angles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers players and coaches knelt in solidarity as the Compton Kidz Club sang the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
After the Lakers walked away to defeat Clippers 103-101, LeBron James told reporters that he hopes the kneeling protests will make Kaepernick proud. “I hope we make Kap proud, I hope we continue to make Kap proud. Every day, I hope he makes him proud of how I live my life, not only on the basketball court but off the court. I want to always speak out. against things that I feel are unfair, “James said.
In his post-game interview with TNT, James said the basketball game “has always been bigger than just the ball and 10 players on the floor” with the umpires. “It is an opportunity to use this platform and to be able to spread a lot of positive and positive love throughout the world.”
“We understand what is happening in society right now and we are using this NBA platform, as players, coaches, as organizations, to continue to stay firm on that. It is great to have the NBA back and I hope that our fans are proud of us tonight. “
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When asked how much progress the league has made, James emphasized that players cannot budge. “There has been progress, but in the past, when we have seen progress, we have stopped pushing a bit. We cannot do that.”
“We face a lot of racism, a lot of social injustice, a lot of police brutality, not only in my neighborhood, not just with blacks, but with people of color. It’s something we want to continue to listen to people open to.”
A new CBS News poll He found that most Americans see kneeling down during the national anthem to protest racial discrimination as an acceptable form of protest, but there are divisions in political, racial, and generational terms.
After George Floyd’s deathMany players have participated in Black Lives Matter protests and expressed the need for social change. After discussions with the teams, the NBA allowed players to have pre-approved social justice messages on the back of their jerseys.
James and other players have also kept the focus of attention Breonna Taylor, a black emergency technician who was killed in his home by police while executing a drug raid. None of the officers involved in Taylor’s death has been charged.
The Pelicans, Jazz, Lakers and Clippers are among the 22 teams participating in the 2019-2020 season restart at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. Each team will play eight qualifying games over the next two weeks to determine their playoff rankings.
Justin Carissimo contributed to this report.
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