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By Carlie Trujillo-Strange
Following the death of George Floyd, many NBA players were hesitant to restart the season and take the spotlight away from injustices and police brutality. The NBA told these players that they would use their large platform to speak out on these injustices and inform people on what was going on. Many players such as Lebron James expressed their opinions on the injustices POC face.
One of the things the NBA did to use their platform to speak out on these injustices was allowing players to customize the back of their jerseys with a message. Many players decided to have their jerseys state: “Black Lives Matter” as well as “Peace." The Dallas Mavericks all had “Equality” written on the back of each player’s jersey in their native language. For example, guard/forward Luka Dončić, whose message stated “Enakopravnost”, the Slovenian word for “equality”. Other players such as Jamal Murray did more than just putting a message on the back of their jerseys. Jamal Murray who is a guard playing for the Denver Nuggets had “Freedom” written above the 27 on his back, and has spoken out against what happened to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Breonna Taylor was a 26-year-old working as an EMT during the Coronavirus pandemic. She and her boyfriend were asleep in their apartment when police arrived without announcing themselves, causing Breonna’s boyfriend to grab a gun for self-defense. The police still didn’t announce themselves even after being asked who was at the door multiple times. Breonna’s boyfriend shot his gun and hit an officer in the leg, and the cops opened fire. Breonna was shot five times. The police officers that shot into her home and killed her have not been charged with her murder (As of 10/18/20).
Jamal Murray took the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd personally. He had a pair of Adidas custom painted, with George Floyd on his right shoe and Breonna Taylor on his left. In post-game interviews, Murray spoke about how these injustices need to stop and how he and his father have been on the receiving end of said injustices. For one interview, he left these personalized shoes on the stool for two minutes, inspiring thought about what is happening in today’s world. When asked what he was hoping for when he set his shoes on the stool, he responded with “I just wanted it to resonate with you guys and with whoever is watching. How long was that? Two minutes? One person on those shoes had a knee on their neck for eight. You just got to think about that.” When Murray wore these shoes in his games, he dropped at least fifty points and led the Nuggets to the Western Semi-Finals. He has said that these shoes give him life. That “even though these people are gone, they help me find strength to keep fighting in this world”. It’s players like Jamal Murray that instill hope in many people. He uses his platform to inform and express his opinion.
The NBA hasn’t just allowed players to customize messages on the back of their jerseys, but the game courts have “Black Lives Matter” written in bold black text for everyone to see. The NBA has also written messages on the players’ warm up and bench clothing. “Black Lives Matter” was written on each of the player’s shirts for the seeding games up until they were changed to say “Vote”. As shown in the picture, teams including staff kneel for the anthem.
On August 23, 2020, Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old African American man in Wisconsin was shot in the back seven times after reaching into his SUV that held his three children. Despite being shot seven times, Jacob Blake lived. Three days after the video of this shooting went viral, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their fifth game against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs. The Bucks stayed in their locker rooms for tip-off, and the Orlando Magic left to their own locker rooms after being stood up. Many teams followed the Bucks’ actions and ultimately all NBA games were postponed for three days. In response to these protests initiated by the players, the NBA has turned teams’ arenas into voting centers to make voting more accessible. In addition to these voting centers, the NBA will also work with advertisers in order to promote voting and attempt to get viewers to vote.
Racial injustices and police brutality have been occurring throughout history, and now they are being recorded and posted frequently through media. For many people, this has been a wake-up call. Students, activists, and celebrities all around the world have expressed their opinions on these injustices and are fighting for their end. Being one of the largest well-known sports leagues in the world did not stop the NBA from taking action.
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