Talks about a possible boycott of the NBA playoffs appeared the day before. Reigning champions of the Toronto Raptors and one of the leaders of the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics, discussed a possible refusal to enter the site due to an incident in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during which police shot a black man, Jacob Blake, seven times in the back ... Initially, The Undefeated reported this, and later confirmed by the head coach of the Canadians Nick Nurse. The specialist said that in this way the athletes wanted to "call to action."
“I think that they (basketball players. - RT ) want this. It seems to me that enough attention is paid to problems, but concrete actions are not enough. From the current discussion I draw just such a conclusion, "- said the Raptors mentor.
The meeting between Toronto and Boston was supposed to take place on August 28, which left the league enough time to discuss this issue with the teams and come to a common denominator. But the situation began to develop much more rapidly than many expected. A few hours later, it became known that the Milwaukee basketball players refused to play the fifth game of the series with Orlando and remained in the locker room, although their rivals were already actively warming up on the floor.
Subsequently, an official statement was issued on behalf of the Milwaukee players, in which they explained their actions. In particular, they recalled the wave of protests caused by the death of African American George Floyd at the end of May.
“Over the past four months, the racial injustice facing our African American communities has become clear. Citizens across the country have used their voices and platforms to speak out against these atrocities. A few days ago, we saw a grisly video from our home state of Wisconsin in which Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back in Kenosha and also fired on protesters. Despite widespread calls for change, no action was taken, so today we cannot think about basketball, ”the statement said.
The Milwaukee basketball players demanded justice for Blake, as well as the prosecution of the police officers who opened fire on him.
"It is necessary for the Wisconsin Legislature to reconvene after months of inaction and take real action to address issues of police accountability, brutality (on their part - RT ) and criminal justice reform," the statement explains.
Within hours, it became known that other teams supported Milwaukee and decided to boycott the fifth matches of the playoff series. Basketball players from the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder did not take to the floor in solidarity. Thus, all meetings of the next game day were postponed.
Subsequently, representatives of other sports joined the boycott. Major League Baseball (MLB) has rescheduled four meetings, and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) has postponed all of its scheduled games for the day. Almost all matches were postponed in the Major League of Football (MLS), with the only exception being the confrontation between Orlando City and Nashville, which took place before the events began.
Also, the matches of the tennis tournament in New York were postponed for a day. Naomi Osaka was scheduled to play with Eliza Mertens in the semifinals of the competition, but refused to go to court in protest against the genocide of black people. Subsequently, the ATP, WTA and the US Tennis Federation jointly decided to postpone the meetings.
Also, the action was supported by two-time NBA champion, and now TV presenter Kenny Smith. The famous athlete in the past said that at this moment he should be in solidarity with his colleagues and left the TNT studio. The leaders of the clubs also supported their wards, saying that they understand their position.
“I was looking forward to being back on the set today and hoping that we would close the series. However, I support our players today and will always support them. After 400 years of brutality, racism and injustice, we all need to say, "Enough!" - Tweeted Lakers president Ginny Bass.
The leadership of Milwaukee spoke in a similar vein. The club admitted that they did not know about the basketball players' initiative in advance, but still expressed solidarity with them.
“We fully support our players and their decision ... The only way to change something is to shed light on the racial injustice happening around. Our athletes have done this, and we continue to support them and demand accountability (police - RT ) and change, ”the Bucks bosses quoted ESPN as saying.
As it became known, after some time, the players of the teams participating in the playoffs held a meeting at which they discussed further actions. According to a number of insiders, the communication took place in a rather tense atmosphere and ended "unpleasantly", as well as without any certainty about the future.
As noted, during the discussion, the Lakers and the Clippers called on other clubs to boycott the Larry O'Brien Cup, but received no support. At the same time, one of the most active participants in the event was LeBron James. He called on leaders of organizations to be "more involved in the situation."
Even before meeting with colleagues, James was quite active in expressing his position. The three-time NBA champion posted a message on his official Twitter page, which many regarded as an appeal to US President Donald Trump. In it, the athlete rudely demanded changes.
It is currently unknown if the NBA playoffs scheduled for August 27 will take place. At the same time, it is reported that on Thursday a meeting of the Board of Governors of the Association will take place, which will consider this incident.