With a full 24 hours to process what happened yesterday in Washington D.C. during the riots on the Captiol, the NBA has had a unified response. The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat were the first to speak out publicly, but teams across the league have engaged in gestures of unity, such as locking arms at mid-court during the National Anthem. That’s what happened on Thursday night in Staples Center, with the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs locking arms at midcourt during the National Anthem. Both teams also made sure to intentionally alternate players from each team so that everybody would be mixed in together.
Lakers and Spurs lock arms during National Anthem. pic.twitter.com/PjCB9b18zd
— LeBron Wire (@LeBron_Wire) January 8, 2021
Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times was in the building to get another video of the moment.
Lakers and Spurs before game at Staples during National Anthem pic.twitter.com/v9UpPOkHgj
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) January 8, 2021
In the Denver-Dallas game, both teams took a knee at midcourt during the anthem.
Mavericks and Nuggets link arms and kneel together during the national anthem. pic.twitter.com/s80ZAQGG64
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) January 8, 2021
The Lakers are back home for the first time in four games after sweeping their road trip, which included two wins against the Spurs, whom they faced on Thursday.
