A picture is worth a thousand words, and on Thursday, we got two.
On Twitter, very powerful images of Thunder point guard Chris Paul were publicized by the Oklahoma City Thunder, and it certainly wasn’t a coincidence.
Russell Westbrook’s clothing brand, Honor The Gift, agreed to collaborate with the NBA Players Association to “create a player exclusive collection that allow players to shed light on social injustice & honor the victims & families of those who continue to inspire” them.
On Thursday, Paul was photographed wearing one such t-shirt that featured the names including Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice and George Floyd — a few of whom have become synonymous with the continuing protests against police brutality and in favor of the preservation of Black lives.
A recent happening in the continuing protests has been a call to young hoops players to consider taking their talents to one of the nation’s historically black colleges and universities. Makur Maker, cousin of the Detroit Pistons’ Thon Maker, is seen as a trailblazer in that regard, as the five-star recruit committed to Howard University earlier this year.
In a powerful collaboration between Westbrook’s brand and the Thunder’s current starting point guard, Paul let it be known exactly where he stood on the matter.
As the question as to whether or not young players should consider attending an HBCU becomes debated more widely, TNT analyst Dwyane Wade made interesting comments on the matter earlier this week before the NBA began exhibition play in Orlando.
“I love the move he made, and I hope other black athletes chose to do HBCUs — but college basketball and everyone else has to do their job to make sure that the HBCUs are pulled up from the dirt,” Wade told Cari Champion. “Because that’s where they are now.”
Taken out of context, it could appear that Wade’s remarks were disparaging, but he further clarified and seemed to attempt to make the point that young players simply going to HBCUs wouldn’t be enough.
Those who matter — from athletic directors to television executives to, yes, pro players like Chris Paul — need to do their part to support the movement and ensure that young players like Makur who need to be seen will have that opportunity at an HBCU.
It sure didn’t take the President of the NBA Players Association long to step up.
