Jarrett Jack has mad plenty of big statements in his career, but none bigger than the black t-shirt he wore during pregame warmups before the Nets faced the Clippers.
Jack warmed up in a T-shirt that had the words “BLACK HISTORY MONTH” on it but the word “MONTH” crossed out with the word “YEARS” underneath it.
Before playing against Cleveland on Dec. 8, Jack wore and distributed “I Can’t Breathe” shirts to some of his teammates and opponents, including the Cavaliers’ LeBron James. The “I Can’t Breathe” statement was a show of support for the family of Eric Garner.
“I thought the shirt made a dope statement,” Jack said of his latest shirt. “That is just what I believe. Things shouldn’t just be highlighted within any sort of time frame. I think we should celebrate everything, as much as we can. Know what I mean? I don’t want to over speak or put myself in a compromising position. I just feel that there is a contribution from a bunch of nationalities that we should just celebrate.
“It doesn’t have to be a monthly thing,” the point guard continued. “It doesn’t have to be a daily thing. … It can be all the time. We can celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln in the same breath. They come from two totally different walks of life, but the contributions that they made to society, they stack up. They are both for riding in the same car so to speak, fighting for the same things I think.”
Jack said he didn’t ask for permission to wear the shirt.