Death of George Floyd: NBA players on the front line against racism

On May 25, George Floyd's life came to an abrupt end during an arrest in Minneapolis, in the United States. The 46-year-old African American died after being tackled to the ground by a police officer, who kept his knee on his neck for long minutes.

Since then, almost everywhere in the country and even in the world, the protests have continued to mount to denounce racism and police violence. Many voices have been raised in the basketball community, one of the most popular sports across the Atlantic.

An old basketball hope

George Floyd was for a time a young hope for the orange ball. As the Houston Chronicle reports, he started to make himself known on the floors of a city high school, Jack Yates High School. Also an excellent American football player, he continued in basketball, joining the South Florida Community College at Avon Park from 1993 to 1995. Even if his sporting adventure finally ended there, George Floyd, nicknamed the "nice giant" by his friends at the time, according to the WCJB chain, marked the spirits.

He also stayed close to Stephen Jackson, a friend he met in Houston, who, he pursued a career in the NBA, notably wearing the colors of the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs, with whom he won a title.

Since the death of George Floyd, he has become one of the faces of the protest by participating in several rallies. "Floyd was my brother. We were called twins. My brother was in Minnesota because he changed his life, he drove trucks (...) and you killed him. I'm on my way to Minnesota Justice will be done, "he wrote on the announcement of his disappearance on his Instagram account. The former NBA champion also spoke to his friend's orphaned daughter at a press conference: "I will be there. I will be there at her wedding. I will be there for her. I will be there for wipe away her tears. Floyd is gone, but I'm here for her. "

Stephen Jackson spoke out at a news conference, promising to take care of George Floyd's daughter and demanding justice for his death. pic.twitter.com/qozf5R6ZKI

NBA stars on the street

Other NBA figures have also mobilized in the past few days, as the season is currently suspended due to the Covid-19. Players of the Golden State Warriors including Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson joined a crowd of protesters on Wednesday June 3 for a peaceful march against racist violence in Oakland. Rising Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown also didn't hesitate to drive for fifteen hours to join a protest in Atlanta.

"Say his name." @ StephenCurry30 and @ayeshacurry join @ juanonjuan10 at his Walking in Unity event in Oakland. pic.twitter.com/bT8eZhrjpt

Very politically engaged, LeBron James also reacted shortly after the death of George Floyd, by posting on Instagram an old photo showing him with a black t-shirt, with the inscription "I can't breathe" ("I can't not breathe "), the sentence pronounced by the victim just before his death.

View this post on Instagram

STILL !!!! 🤬😢😤

A post shared by LeBron James (@kingjames) on May 27, 2020 at 9:43 am PDT

Often criticized for his lack of position in favor of the African-American community, even though he had become one of the most influential men in the world, the former Chicago Bulls player Michael Jordan this time- here chose to speak.

Following the death of George Floyd, the current co-owner of the Charlotte Hornets denounced in a press release "rooted racism" in the United States, saying he was "deeply saddened, genuinely distressed and totally angry". His former rival Magic Johnson also expressed "his tiredness" faced with this situation. "If it happened to George Floyd, it could very well happen to EJ and Andre," he said, referring to his two sons.

"Nothing changes"

On the coaching side, Gregg Popovich the coach of San Antonio for his part castigated the absence of empathy for Donald Trump, whom he describes as "disturbed idiot" and "coward". "If Trump had a brain, even if he was 99% cynical, he would go out and say something to unify people. But he doesn't care about bringing people together. Even now. That's how upset he is. Everything revolves around him. It all depends on what benefits him personally. It is never for the good of all, "he told The Nation. "We need a president who just says 'black life matters'."

Gregg Popovich also pointed to stagnation when faced with the problem of racism. "What strikes me is that we all see this police violence and this racism, and we have seen this before, but nothing changes. That is why these protests have been so explosive. But without leadership, without understanding the problem, there will never be a change. "

Gregg Popovich is a member, along with Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, Lloyd Pearce (Atlanta Hawks) and ex-coaches David Fizdale and Stan Van Gundy, of a committee established by the National Association of American Basketball Coaches ( NBCA), responsible for reflecting on various actions to combat racial violence and intolerance in the American cities where NBA teams play.

Most clubs have spoken, except the New York Knicks, whose owner James Dolan said they were "no better qualified than anyone to give (their) opinion on social issues". NBA boss Adam Silver himself spoke of the matter in a note to his staff:  " As we fight a pandemic that strikes all communities and minorities more than anyone, we are reminded that injuries have never healed in our country. Racism, police brutality and racial injustice are still part of life in America today and cannot be ignored. "

# BlackLivesMatter # BlackoutTuesday # NBATogether pic.twitter.com/vKA1Z4yfa1

A particularly committed league

The NBA, of which nearly 80% of the players are from minorities, according to Sports Illustrated, wants to be at the forefront in terms of social engagement. While the NFL had not supported the American footballer Colin Kaepernick, when he dared to kneel on the ground during the national anthem in protest against police violence, the basketball league has multiplied for many years the initiatives to fight against racism with in particular the creation of the platform "NBA Voices", which promotes equality and diversity. 

As the New York Times describes, basketball players regularly make their voices heard even on floors. In 2012, after the death of young Trayvon Martin, killed by a security guard, while he was walking down the street wearing a hooded sweatshirt, several basketball players had worn the same clothing during the pre-match warm-ups. Two years later, after the death of Eric Garner during an arrest, several of them, including Lebron James, had also displayed t-shirts already bearing at the time the inscription "I can't breath ".

For Sports Illustrated, this stance of basketball stars is simply explained by their past: "Before Lebron James fought with Michael Jordan to become the best player of all time, he mostly fought against the poverty in Akron, Ohio, "recalls this sports magazine. "Many of them have been George Floyd."

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