On Tuesday, it was announced that the Kenosha police officer that shot Jacob Blake will not be facing any criminal charges. On Wednesday, hours after a violent mob of Donald Trump supporters was able to storm the US Capitol in an attempt to contend the results of the country’s presidential election, the NBA and the wider sports World showed disappointment.
Despite the uncertainty in the USA’s capital, the NBA chose to proceed with its scheduled games on Wednesday. Players taking the court made a statement with several teams taking a knee prior to the beginning of the games.
During the anthem, the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics were two of those teams that elected to take a knee. Almost every player on either team got down on one knee to express their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Additionally, the two teams put out a joint statement before the game, which explained why they were willing to play on Wednesday. It read:
“2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed,” it read. “We play tonight’s game with a heavy heart after yesterday’s decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation’s capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on what side of certain issues are on. The drastic difference between the way protestors this past spring and summer were treated and the encouragement given to today’s protestors who acted illegally just shows how much more work we have to do.
“We have decided to play tonight’s game to try to bring joy into people’s lives. But we must not forget the injustices in our society and we will continue to use our voices and our platform to highlight these issues and do everything we can to work for a more equal & just America.”
In Milwaukee, the Bucks and the Detroit Pistons both took turnovers on their first possessions – on purpose, with all 10 players on the court kneeling. In Phoenix, the Suns and Toronto Raptors stood in a circle and linked arms for the American and Canadian national anthems.
Later in the night, the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers also decided to take a knee prior to tip-off, as the national anthem played at the Chase Center. Additionally, the Warriors also donned Black Lives Matter t-shirts during the pregame warmups.
