As the NBA continues to navigate the next steps toward the Milwaukee Bucks’ extraordinary decision not to play their playoff game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday over issues of social justice, leading to the cancellation of games in multiple professional sports, a recognizable figure has emerged as one between NBA players and owners: Michael Jordan.
Jordan, owner of Charlotte Hornets – and the only Black Majority owner in the league – reached out to National Basketball Players Association president Chris Paul, told league sources ESPN prior to the owners’ meeting to gain a better understanding of what players hope to advance and offer help as they make their case to the NBA Board of Directors. Jordan also spoke with Houston Rockets star Russell Westbrook about issues of social justice that initially left some stars arguing for the season’s cancellation.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has meanwhile reported that players voted to resume the game.
The owners held a virtual meeting Thursday morning, and two participants confirmed that Jordan – who serves as the chair of the NBA Labor Relations Committee – was a voice of reason, and the other owners urged the players to express their frustrations and concerns before offering one of their own solutions.
“Right now, listening is better than talking,” Jordan told the group.
“Michael is the perfect person to be in this role,” said a league official who has been familiar with discussions about what should happen next. “He has been a high profile player who has won championships. He is also the owner of a small market team. He has great credibility with both the players and the owners.”
Sources in the league said the owners were unanimous in their support of the players and spent much of their meeting on ways to strengthen the players’ voices.
Many owners, including Jordan, sources said they were continuing to anticipate the season, believing the games were still the best and most visible platform for social change. The owners will meet again later Thursday to discuss specific ways in which they can help players meet their goals while continuing to compete for an NBA title, as well as planning the replay of play in the bubble.
On Wednesday, the Bucks decided not to take the floor against the Magic in protest of the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot seven times by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. That game, along with the Oklahoma City Thunder-Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers-Los Angeles Lakers, was later postponed.
Blake’s shooting sparked players’ frustrations about incidents they felt were systemic and repeated examples of racial injustice. A number of NBA players attempted ‘opt-outs’ to relaunch the season to focus instead on protests and a greater awareness of their cause.
The NBA painted “Black Lives Matter” on the courts that were used in the bubble at the Walt Disney World Resort and allowed players to record messages of social justice on their jerseys, but the wounds remained raw. Asked about shooting Blake and what players could do, Bucks veteran George Hill replied earlier this week, “We can do nothing. First, we do not even have to come to this damn place, to be honest.” A visibly emotional Doc Rivers said Tuesday night, “It’s amazing to me why we love this country and this country does not love us.”
Jordan has expressed his admiration to current NBA players for taking such a strong stand on racial issues, team sources said.
Nike announced in July that it would each donate $ 1 million to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the NAACP Empowerment Programs and the Black Girls Code. Jordan and Jordan Brand announced on July 29 their first donations of their 10-year, $ 100 million pledge in support of efforts to combat Black voter oppression. Donations of $ 1 million went to the Movement for Former Prison Convicted People and Families and the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and $ 500,000 to Black Voters Matter.
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