Even as NBA players get their bodies ready to be back out onto the court, they’re showing that their minds are still focused on social justice.
During media availability Monday afternoon, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Tobias Harris used his time to draw attention to the police shooting of Breonna Taylor. When asked what he thought of the new social justice t-shirts that Russell Westbrook’s design company Honor the Gift had created, Harris executed a smooth pivot to matters of real consequence.
“Nothing against the t-shirts, but we want to make sure that Daniel Cameron (Kentucky Attorney General) will arrest the cops & the officers involved with Breonna Taylor’s death and that’s all I got to say,” Harris said before walking away.
Harris isn’t the only NBA player trying to keep the spotlight on police reform as the public’s attention starts to shift back to more mundane matters. Last week, Denver Nuggets forward Jerami Grant also used his media time to keep calling out the lack of action in the case of Breonna Taylor, who was shot by the Louisville Metro Police Department while asleep in her bed. On Sunday, Celtics forward Jaylen Brown decided to end his availability by highlighting Taylor as well.
“For us, equality is demanded,” Brown said. “Black lives matter. Breonna Taylor is an example of a Black life who was taken because of how the system has been laid out. We’re going to continue to protest,” he said.
Harris’ availability lasted 59 seconds, but it’s hard to imagine him using that time and that platform in a better way.
