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Milwaukee Bucks Boycott Playoff Game

   DailyWire.com
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 26: Officials stand beside an empty court after the scheduled start of game five between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 26, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. According to reports, the Milwaukee Bucks have boycotted their game 5 playoff game against the Orlando Magic to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha, Wisconsin police. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
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In the aftermath of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Bucks have decided to boycott the NBA play-off game against the Orlando Magic Wednesday afternoon, a development that comes after the team failed to join the Magic on the court ahead of tipoff.

According to ESPN, the Bucks failed to show up on the court for warm-up, which seemingly prompted the Magic to leave the court shortly before the game was supposed to start as well.

In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, the NBA revealed that “in light of the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to not take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, today’s three games – MIL-ORL, HOU-OKC and LAL-POR have been postponed. Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled.”

The Bucks’ decision to halt the game comes amidst violent unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where police shot 29-year old Blake, who is black, on Sunday during an altercation. Kenosha is about 40 miles from the city of Milwaukee.

As The Daily Wire previously reported, “viral video shows some of the incident, but notably depicts Blake reaching down into the open driver-side door of a gray SUV as a Kenosha police officer holds the back of his shirt.”

NBA players from more than one team have been “raising questions” about the possibility of stalling games amidst the shooting, according to The Washington Post.

Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, for example, told reporters on Tuesday that “at some point we’re going to have to put our nuts on the line and actually put something up to lose, rather than just money or visibility,” reports the Post.

Last week, New York Times sports reporter Marc Stein told “The Daily” podcast that he believes “a majority” of the NBA players decided to resume the season at the NBA’s Orland bubble in the first place so that they could amplify social justice messages to the public.

STEIN: And I think as time wore on, a majority of players basically came to the conclusion that by going to Walt Disney World and seizing upon the platform available that that could actually amplify their message.

HOST: Huh, that’s really interesting. So in their minds, playing the sport, resuming the season would give them a bigger megaphone to talk about race, talk about police brutality. And so that becomes an incentive to revive the season.

STEIN: Ultimately, yes. That’s where the majority of players, that’s the place they ultimately reached. There is so much media coverage of the N.B.A. Use the platform that a resumed N.B.A. season would give by speaking out after games, after practices to really broadcast their message.

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