When it comes to social causes, the NBA has always operated on a higher plane than the other major North American sports. That’s again proving to be the case in the restart of the season following the COVID-19 enforced delay to the 2019-20 campaign.
Earlier this week, the NBA unveiled its court for the league’s return to play format in Orlando, Fla. The hardwood features the Black Lives Matter slogan prominently displayed at center court.
Since the death of George Floyd at police hands in Minneapolis, both the league and the NBA’s players have sought to dedicate their return to the court to messages designed to keep social justice causes at the forefront of people’s minds.
“Our platform in Orlando presents a unique opportunity to extend the ongoing fight against systemic racism and police brutality in this country,” NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts told theDenverChannel.com. “We will continue to work with our players and the League to develop specific plans in Orlando as well as long-term initiatives to bring about real change on these issues.”
Message Must Be Heard
A number of NBA players expressed their concern that by returning to action, they might in fact distract people from the more important issues currently being debated in America.
Kyrie Irving of the New York Nets and Dwight Howard and Avery Bradley of the Los Angeles Lakers were among the most vocal players putting forth their fears that by playing basketball, it might have the effect of drawing attention away from the peaceful protests taking place around the USA.
They head a coalition of players who spoke up to be certain that this message would also be delivered part and parcel with the NBA’s restart, releasing a statement via ESPN.
“We are combating the issues that matter most: We will not accept the racial injustices that continue to be ignored in our communities,” the statement read. “We will not be kept in the dark when it comes to our health and well-being. And we will not ignore the financial motivations/expectations that have prevented us historically from making sound decisions.
“This is not about individual players, athletes or entertainers. This is about our group of strong men and women uniting for change. We have our respective fields, however, we will not just shut up and play to distract us from what this whole system has been about: Use and Abuse.”
King James Speaks
Lakers star LeBron James has a vested interest in returning to action. He came to L.A. to bring the Lakers back to prominence, and the NBA Las Vegas odds suggest that he is poised to do exactly that. The Lakers are the +240 favorites to win the 2019-20 NBA title, and perhaps even earn King James an unprecedented NBA Finals MVP Award with his third team. He’s already been finals MVP with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers.
As much as he wants to make this dream a reality and bring the glitter and gleam back to the Lakers franchise, as the NBA’s most prominent player, James knows that there are bigger issues afoot in America today than which team gets to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
“First of all, I love the game,” James told Sky Sports. “I love the NBA. I love what we’ve built, not only here in America but all over the world. I think this is the most precious, impactful, beautiful game in the world.
“A lot of people use this analogy that Black Lives Matter is a movement. When you’re black, it’s not a movement. It’s a lifestyle. We sit here and say it’s a movement and ask, ‘How long is this movement going to last?’ This is a walk of life. When you wake up and you’re black, that’s the way it is.
“This is who we are and we understand that, and we know that for one step, or one yard that someone else might take, we know we’ve got to take five more steps and we know we’ve got to take 10 more yards to get to the end zone.
But also what makes us strong, what makes us powerful, what makes us unique and so unified is that we’ve had so much hardship in our lives, either through personal experiences, or loved ones, or from reading history, or seeing videos – Rodney King – or just being part of the communities that you’re in, where you’re racially profiled from the time you come out of the womb.”
Scene And Heard
Players will be permitted to wear social justice messages on their jerseys when the NBA season restarts on July 30th. Approved messages include Black Lives Matter; Say Their Names; Vote; I Can’t Breathe; Justice; Peace; Equality; Freedom; Enough; Power to the People; Justice Now; Say Her Name; Sí Se Puede (Yes We Can); Liberation; See Us; Hear Us; Respect Us; Love Us; Listen; Listen to Us; Stand Up; Ally; Anti-Racist; I Am A Man; Speak Up; How Many More; Group Economics; Education Reform; and Mentor.
“This is important to our players, it’s important to our fans, but most importantly it’s important to the United States of America that we address these sensitive issues and try to help end systemic racism,” Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told Fox News.