The sports world came to a halt on Wednesday as players from major American sports leagues went on strike to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake and police violence towards the Black community. NBA players met on Wednesday night and Thursday morning to discuss the issues at hand and the resumption of their season.
What We Know:
- It all started with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks refused to take the court for their Wednesday afternoon game against the Orlando Magic and the events of the day snowballed from there. Players from the NBA, WNBA, MLS, and MLB stood together and decided against playing their Wednesday games to protest police brutality and the inaction of this country’s leaders. In addition, tennis superstar Naomi Osaka will not play in Thursday’s Western & Southern Open semifinal match.
- NBA players held a Wednesday night meeting to openly discuss their thoughts on racial injustice and whether or not the should complete this season. Hearing members of the NBA community speak, it’s clear that they are raw and feeling all sorts of emotions over the injustice that Black Americans face.
I commend the players on the @Bucks for standing up for what they believe in, coaches like @DocRivers, and the @NBA and @WNBA for setting an example. It’s going to take all our institutions to stand up for our values. pic.twitter.com/rUGETgAt7P
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 27, 2020
Chris Webber pic.twitter.com/v16jnhaWE1
— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) August 26, 2020
- The most shocking news to come out of the Wednesday meeting was that the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers voted to stay on strike for the rest of the season. Brad Turner of the LA Times reports that LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard were the two who were most adamant about not playing the rest of the playoffs.
- Players and coaches in the meeting discussed potential plans of action and the financial ramifications of ending the season. They also discussed the Milwaukee Bucks’ game-time decision to go on strike. NBA referees joined the meeting to express their support for players and now plan to stage their own demonstration at Disney’s Coronado Springs Hotel.
Sources: As some in tonight's meeting wanted to hear Bucks' explanation for making an abrupt decision independent of rest of teams to boycott game, Boston's Jaylen Brown essentially said that the Bucks didn't need to explain themselves and he fully supported what they did today.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 27, 2020
- NBA players held another meeting Thursday morning, at the same time the team owners were scheduled to meet. Players continued their discussions surrounding social justice and how to better use their platform. Initial reports from the meeting say that the players agreed to resume the season. Players have also been talking to former players like Dwyane Wade and Michael Jordan. Jordan is the owner of the Charlotte Hornets and serves as the NBA Labor Relations Committee chairman.
Yahoo Sources: Significant source of frustration in meeting last night stemmed from players not being on the same page and emotions got the best of some. The hope from the collective was after a good night’s sleep, they could reconvene and get it to this point. Playoffs are back.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 27, 2020
Sources: Many players believed that leaving the bubble would take away their platform and felt that real change and awareness can come from working in Orlando on this big stage. Also many conversations about how this can be a ripple effect in sports.
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) August 27, 2020
- The NBA released the following statement regarding the situation:
- Players and owners had a joint meeting on Thursday afternoon. According to Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks, players made their demands to ownership and wanted organizational change. Players asked for a dedicated coalition and a full-time position to manage issues such as voting, police reform, etc. Players want the league to be proactive on the issues rather than reactive.
The three playoff games scheduled for Thursday will be postponed. NBA players and league officials could restart games as early as Friday or Saturday. There will be another meeting today between players and owners.
This is a developing story and will continue to be updated.
