The National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) released a jointly signed statement Monday from its membership regarding the death of George Floyd and its desire to affect positive change.
Included on the list of statement signees are Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni, as well as current assistant coaches Brett Gunning, Elston Turner, Matt Brase, and Dan Hartfield.
After expressing heartfelt condolences and prayers to Floyd’s family, the NBCA’s strongly worded statement reads:
As NBA coaches — both head and assistant coaches — we lead groups of men, most of whom are African American, and we see, hear and share their feelings of disgust, frustration, helplessness and anger. The events of the past few weeks — police brutality, racial profiling, and the weaponization of racism are shameful, inhumane, and intolerable.
Citing their status as a diverse group of leaders, the coaches say they have a responsibility “to stand up and speak out for those who don’t have a voice,” as well as for those who worry that it is not safe to do so.
Witnessing the murder of George Floyd in cold blood and in broad daylight has traumatized our nation, but the reality is that African Americans are targeted and victimized on a daily basis. As NBA coaches, we cannot treat this as an isolated incident of outrage.
We are committed to working in our NBA cities with local leaders, officials and law enforcement agencies to create positive change in our communities. We have the power and platform to affect change, and we will use it.
Protests have erupted in U.S. cities for the last six days following the death of Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis.
The list of locations with protest movements included Houston, where Floyd grew up and the city where his body will soon be laid to rest.
The latest information on the protests is available at usatoday.com.
