The recent Kings vs. Hawks game was delayed by protesters in Sacramento bringing attention to the police shooting of Stephon Clark. During their March 25th contest against Boston, both the Kings and the Celtics plan to honor the slain Clark by wearing shirts commemorating him.
According to the Sacramento Bee, the shirts will read “Accountability. We are One” on the front and “Stephon Clark” on the back.
King’s guard Garrett Temple explained the motivation for the decision to wear the shirts.
“It’s something that I think we can use our platform, like Vivek said, to support and try to create change,” said Temple, who after Thursday’s game said he agreed with the protest. “Because no matter how you look at it, these things have to stop, one way or another. Us being on the national stage, we have a way to try to push our support towards change, and we’re going to try to do that.”
This gesture is coming on the heels of Zach Randolph offering to pay for Clark’s funeral expenses. It is another example of the NBA being more open to player social activism than other professional sports leagues.
