On Sunday, it was learned that the NBA would permit its players to replace the last name appearing on their jerseys with a personalized social justice message.
Now, it seems that the league is taking its support for protests against the Black community’s mistreatment at the hands of law enforcement to another level. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the league and its players union have agreed to a proposal that would see “Black Lives Matter” painted on each of the three courts that will be used for official competition in Orlando.
Despite the league’s union unanimously agreeing to adopt the NBA’s proposal to resume play in Orlando, shortly after its vote, reports of infighting began. According to those reports, Kyrie Irving and a few other players began encouraging players to reevaluate their positions for fear of detracting from the message and mission of the protests.
The union then began discussing with the league potential means of expression that would allow players to protest while playing. This is another step in that direction.
The NBA and National Basketball Players Association are planning to paint “Black Lives Matter” on the court inside both sidelines in all three arenas the league will use at the Walt Disney World Resort when it resumes the 2019-20 season late next month in Orlando, Florida, league sources told ESPN.
… On a conference call with reporters Friday, leaders of both the NBA and the NBPA said the league and union were discussing several ways to use the NBA’s platform in Orlando to call attention to racial equality, social justice and police brutality.
Now, it appears we know of at least two.
The Thunder will travel to Orlando to resume their season on July 7 before tipping off against the Utah Jazz on Aug. 1.
