Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma spoke to the media for 6 1/2 minutes on Wednesday, addressing some reporters in person in Orlando, Florida, while others logged in on Zoom and were asked 10 questions.
Only one of the questions was geared toward social justice, and not long after the session ended, Kuzma asked media members in a tweet to give social justice more priority when talking to players while the NBA He tries to restart his season after a four-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Media and players: we work hand in hand. We have platforms but help us! Yes, we know that your job is to ask us questions about basketball. But if you believe in equality for all, let’s ask some questions of social injustice here and there. we are all in this together
– kuz (@kylekuzma) July 22, 2020
One of Kuzma’s teammates, Lakers guard Alex Caruso took a similar tactic Wednesday. After answering two questions about missing his sister, Megan’s wedding, over the weekend, Caruso told reporters where he wanted the topic to stay for the day.
“Outside of my sister’s wedding questions, whatever you ask basketball today, I’m just going to answer, ‘We need justice for Breonna Taylor,'” Caruso said.
“That will be my answer to the rest of the questions if they are related to basketball and do not belong to my sister and my wedding.”
Taylor has been a recurring theme during player interviews this week.
After the NBA’s first restart on Wednesday, Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George became the first player to use his entire post-game interview session with reporters to strictly discuss the deaths of Taylor and George Floyd and police brutality.
“[Shoulders] I felt great, but I think the most important thing is that I take this time to extend my condolences to the Taylor family, Breonna Taylor, rest in peace, George Floyd, rest in peace, “said George.” There are so many others out there who have been brutally murdered by the police. That is all I have, that is my message to everyone and that will continue to be my response. “
George said the players will do their best to continue talking about police brutality and Taylor’s death.
Taylor, a black emergency medical technician, was killed in Louisville, Kentucky, after plainclothes officers executed a “do not touch” order related to a narcotics investigation and shot the 26-year-old at least eight times, according to reports. No drugs were found.
Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were awakened by officers who used a battering ram to enter their apartment shortly after midnight on March 13. Walker fired his weapon, he said, in self-defense, believing that his house was being raided. Police say they fired their weapons only after Walker shot him.
Detective Brett Hankison was fired. Jon Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, the other officers involved, were placed on administrative reassignment.
“I think that’s what we’re here for, to keep that on people’s minds,” said George. “I mean, his killers are still free, so nothing has been done yet. And we hope to continue, again, to continue this fight and use our platform to defend those who can no longer resist.”
When asked if players in Orlando are talking to each other about using their platforms to focus on social justice causes like Taylor’s death, George said it is a topic discussed among his peers.
“We are here, we see each other, we are housed in the same areas, it is very easy for us to come together and do this together, do this collectively,” said George. “The NBA is a wonderful platform, and they have allowed us to use it and come together.”
Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell began his media availability Wednesday by issuing a similar call for justice.
“First, I would like to start, the boys have been saying it all week and I want to continue spreading the message. We need justice for Breonna Taylor, we all understand that she was murdered in her own house; you know if there is a point where you do not you can feel safe in your own home, that’s not good, “Mitchell said.
Toronto Raptors shooting guard Terence Davis answered a question Wednesday saying, “We are united right now by keeping the focus on the assassins of Breonna Taylor. That is what I want to keep the focus on. I can answer your questions after the game. or anytime after playing. ” now just focus on what’s going on. “
On Tuesday, Milwaukee Bucks swingman Sterling Brown said, “Every day I get up and I can breathe, but that’s not the case for a lot of people, that’s not the case for Breonna Taylor, so I feel like we need to focus our focus on that more than what’s going on here. “
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart answered all questions on Tuesday saying, “Justice for Breonna Taylor.”
In the months that have passed since Taylor was killed, many players have also used social media to express their outrage.
Kuzma tweeted about Taylor on Monday.
BREONNA TAYLOR KILLERS STILL ON THE STREET
– kuz (@kylekuzma) July 20, 2020
A few days earlier, LeBron James shared a message about Taylor to his 68.6 million Instagram followers. Denver Nuggets forward Jerami Grant was the first player in the NBA bubble to gain attention for dedicating his entire interview session to Taylor a week ago.
“It’s great to be here with my teammates, great to play basketball again, but for me personally, and I think many players, it is imperative that we focus on what is really important in the world,” Grant said July 15. . “One thing for me is that Breonna Taylor’s killers are still roaming free, so I want to focus on that with these interviews and things like that. I want to keep the focus there.”
Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris promoted Grant’s message challenging the name of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron on Monday when asked about the fashion brand of Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook. which produces NBA-sanctioned apparel with social justice messages that players can wear in Orlando.
“Nothing against the shirts, but we want to make sure that Daniel Cameron will arrest the police and officers involved in the death of Breonna Taylor,” said Harris. “And that’s all I have to say. That will be my answer to every question. Let Daniel Cameron step forward and do the right thing, and that’s the only message I have today.”
The issue was also raised by Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum, who said he was on a phone call with Taylor’s mother to gather information on the case.
“I want to go to the registry saying that Daniel Cameron is in a position to arrest the police officers who are responsible for killing Breonna Taylor and has not yet done so, so he is the one in the position to do that,” McCollum said. Tuesday. “So we want to continue to elevate people like Breonna Taylor, who are victims and have not received the proper justice due to them.”
McCollum also wanted to shift the conversation during the media session to Taylor, rather than the Blazers’ playoff chances or rotation prospects.
“In terms of the other parts of your question, I think basketball is secondary,” he said. “You know, it is our job, obviously, and it gives us the ability to fulfill those obligations, but it is also our obligation to fulfill and protect our neighborhoods and protect the people who look like us and come from places like us and we don’t exactly have the same voices as us. So I think that’s something that has been in all of our minds, we’ve been very proactive about it. “
The Association of Professional Basketball Writers intends to cover the calls to social justice of NBA players, as well as the games being played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.
On July 7, during a meeting open to all PBWA members, PBWA members decided to proactively communicate with the National Basketball Players Association to ask union officials if NBPA officials and other members of Players would be interested in conducting additional videoconference interviews with reporters with an expressed focus on social justice issues, not basketball.
PBWA and NPBA had a very promising initial discussion on July 9, league sources told ESPN, and PBWA officials expect those sessions to occur. The notion of the availability of additional means to discuss social issues was presented to the NBPA executive committee, the sources told ESPN, and is under consideration.
When a Twitter follower suggested the idea of separate media availability times to address social justice issues to Kuzma on Wednesday, the third-year veteran responded, saying that players receive the largest audience when they answer questions related to the game afterward. of the last bell.
“The moment everyone wants to hear is after the game, so that’s when there should be a conversation of social injustice,” Kuzma tweeted. “If it were a separate presser, nobody would pay attention.”
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