Several members of the Boston Celtics joined other athletes and celebrities to weigh in on their feelings about the death of security guard George Floyd, who died after being placed in a chokehold and having his neck kneeled upon by an arresting officer in Minnesota.
Video shows the 46-year-old pleading for his life while being kneeled on, which continued after the man ceased moving.
The incident has sparked protests in the city of Minneapolis where the arrest occurred — for alleged charges of forgery — and considerable anger in the African American community and beyond.
Celtics reserve point guard Brad Wanamaker retweeted an article relating the officers involved in the arrest had been fired:
And veteran center Enes Kanter responded by posting anti-racism messages on his Instagram:
Grant Williams retweeted Philadelphia 76ers wing Tobias Harris:
And forward Semi Ojeleye shared a prayer:
Fourth-year shooting guard Jaylen Brown responded at length on both his Instagram and Twitter.
On the latter, he retweeted a Black Lives Matter tweet admonishing people to seek justice for Floyd’s death.
and he also posted an image of Floyd calling for the same on Instagram:
while saying “If I was in attendance I would have been arrested for sure,” in a retweet of a graphic video showing the arresting officer putting his knee on the neck of the deceased.
He also had a discussion on the term “Karen”
in reference to a separate incident where a woman threatened to call the police on a black man in Manhattan’s Central Park after the man asked her to put her dog on a leash in a part of the park where pets are not allowed to roam without being on a leash.
Brown also retweeted a post suggesting the woman in question ought to be jailed for her actions.
Many other NBA players and alumi, athletes and media figures in other pro sports and other public figures also weighed in on both racially-charged incidents.
