LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. — The NBA has postponed all games scheduled for Wednesday, August 26, following reported boycotts from individual teams in the aftermath of the shooting of Jacob Blake by police.
Reports of the boycotts began after the Milwaukee Bucks did not take the floor against the Orlando Magic for Game 5 of their playoff series.
Then news broke that the Bucks were boycotting the game, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Bucks’ boycott was soon joined by the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder, as reported by Stadium and the Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Following that, Wojnarowski broke the news that Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers were also boycotting their game.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James tweeted on Wednesday, saying: “**** THIS MAN!!!! WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT”
The boycotts come in the aftermath of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, by police officers, which has sent shockwaves through the National Basketball Association.
According to ESPN, the Bucks did not take the court for warmups ahead of Wednesday’s game. Magic players were seen taking shots pregame, while the Bucks’ half of the court was empty. The Magic left the court with 3:56 left until the game started.
Top NBA executives were outside of the Milwaukee locker room ahead of the scheduled tip, but did not go inside, according to ESPN.
Blake was shot by Kenosha police on Sunday and the incident was captured in a graphic video apparently filmed by a bystander across the street. The 29-year-old is paralyzed from the waist down and officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave.l.
Alex Lasry, Senior Vice President of the Milwaukee Bucks and son of team governor Marc Lasry, put out a statement saying that “some things are bigger than basketball” and added that he is “incredibly proud of our guys and we stand 100% behind our players ready to assist and bring about real change.”
Bucks guard Sterling Brown filed a police brutality lawsuit against the Milwaukee Police following an arrest in 2018.
In Major League Baseball, Milwaukee Brewers players are meeting to “discuss the status of their game” Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy.
Players were reportedly debating potentially boycotting playoff games to send a message in the wake of Jacob Blake’s shooting.
According to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes citing league sources, a meeting Tuesday was organized by “players who are emotionally traumatized” by the incident in Kenosha to discuss what actions they could take to protest, including hashing out “the logistics of potentially boycotting games.”
Marc J. Spears of ESPN’S The Undefeated reported, also citing league sources, that members of the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors met Tuesday night regarding “possibly boycotting” Thursday’s “Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals and other potential measures in light of the Jacob Blake shooting.”
Celtics star Jaylen Brown made a powerful statement to reporters about the stark reality of Blake’s shooting: “People post my jersey all the time, #7. And every time I look at my jersey now, what I see is a Black man being shot seven times. All America sees is his background report. It’s easier to see that than it is to see the truth.”
Wisconsin’s Milwaukee Bucks issued a statement Monday praying for Blake’s recovery and saying the organization “will continue to stand for all Black lives as we demand accountability and systemic change.”
The shooting of Blake sent shockwaves around the league.
Speaking to reporters after the Los Angeles Clippers’ 154-111 over the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday, Doc Rivers delivered an emontional response to the incident.
“What stands out to me is just watching the Republican convention, viewing this fear,” Rivers said. “All you hear is Donald Trump and all of them talking about fear. We’re the ones getting killed. We’re the ones getting shot. We’re the ones that we’re denied to live in certain communities. We’ve been hung. We’ve been shot. All you do is keep hearing about fear.”
“It’s amazing why we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back,” he added. “It’s really so sad.”
The NBA’s restart at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida came on the heels of the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by police officers, causing players to debate whether or not to play at all amid a time for social unrest in the country.
NBA players have made the Black Lives Matter movement very visible throughout the NBA restart, wearing jerseys bearing social justice messaging and Black Lives Matters warm-up shirts, kneeling during the national anthem and using their voices during interviews to speak out about social justice.
After a playoff game victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul used his post-game interview to address Blake’s shooting.
Last week, 4x NBA MVP LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers donned MAGA-like hats calling for justice for Breonna Taylor.
Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled, the NBA announced.
