NBA players boycott games amid shooting of Jacob Blake
MANILA, Philippines — No NBA playoff games were played in the Orlando, Florida bubble on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time) after players chose to boycott the games.
The boycott comes as a form of protest over the fatal shooting of black man Jacob Blake by police officers in Wisconsin.
Blake was shot at several times by a white police officer while he was entering his car where his three children were seated.
He survived but is currently paralyzed from the waist down.
The Milwaukee Bucks led the boycott after remaining in their locker rooms at the supposed tip-off of their game with the Orlando Magic.
They were on the verge of eliminating the Magic and moving on to the second round, but some things matter more than basketball.
A statement from the Milwaukee Bucks owners: “We fully support our players and the decision they made...” pic.twitter.com/k4Mg63A1N9
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) August 26, 2020
"We fully support our players and the decision they made. Although we did not know beforehand, we would have wholeheartedly agreed with them," said the Bucks in a statement.
The Magic then followed suit and returned to their own locker rooms.
Both teams spurred a domino of boycotts that resulted with all NBA playoff games for the day to be called off.
Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse was the first to float the idea of a boycott with the Raptors and the Boston Celtics considering a boycott for Game One of their second round clash.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski, a veteran NBA player said that "the season is in jeopardy" from here on.
Emotions are raw, players were already worn out of bubble environment prior to the Jacob Blake shooting and sources say discussions within teams are ongoing about postponing tomorrow's three games too -- and beyond. "The season is in jeopardy," one vet player here tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2020
Players are currently discussing whether to continue on with the playoffs or cancel the season due to the situation.
Before a packed room of teams in a hotel ballroom at Disney, the discussion is centering on whether to continue with the playoffs -- or end the season, sources tell ESPN. So far, there seems to be momentum not to play the three playoff games on Thursday, but nothing's decided.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 27, 2020
Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, who has been in the Orlando bubble since the beginning of the restart, said the events have "broken the spirit" of the players.
Prior to the NBA restart, many NBA players have been involved in the Black Lives Matter movement that aims to battle police brutality and racial inequality in the United States.
Many players have been using their platforms to call for social justice, including LeBron James and Donovan Mitchell.
The social justice movement concerns were one of the circumstances heavily discussed heading into the NBA restart.
Apart from the NBA, the WNBA has decided to postpone its games in their own bubble in solidarity with the movement.
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