Although several NBA teams voted to boycott the playoffs in protest of the shooting of Jacob Blake Wednesday night, playoffs will reportedly resume Friday or potentially over the weekend.
In a tweet on Thursday, ESPN Senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said that a source indicated the playoffs will continue after a brief strike.
“The NBA’s players have decided to resume the playoffs, [a source] tells ESPN,” he tweeted.
The NBA's players have decided to resume the playoffs, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 27, 2020
Shams Charania of The Athletic tweeted that sources indicated the games could resume as early as Friday or this weekend.
“Sources: NBA players in meeting today agreed to continue playing this postseason — but want to find new and improved ways to make social justice statements. Players expect games to resume this weekend,” he tweeted.
Sources: NBA players in meeting today agreed to continue playing this postseason — but want to find new and improved ways to make social justice statements. Players expect games to resume this weekend.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 27, 2020
The NBA has not yet made a statement on the issue at hand. On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks announced they would not be playing in their scheduled game against the Orlando Magic that night in protest of the Jacob Blake shooting. The move prompted the four other teams playing that night to follow suit, as reported by Fox News.
“Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin, we’ve seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, and the additional shooting of protestors,” the Milwaukee Bucks said in a statement. “Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball.”
“When we take the court and represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin, we are expected to play at a high level, give maximum effort, and hold each other accountable. We hold ourselves to that standard, and in this moment, we are demanding the same from our lawmakers and law enforcement,” the statement continued. “We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable. For this to occur, it is imperative for the Wisconsin State Legislature to reconvene after months of inaction and take up meaningful measures to address issues of police accountability, brutality, and criminal justice reform. We encourage all citizens to educate themselves, take peaceful and responsible action, and remember to vote on Nov. 3.”
Though the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers reportedly voted to end the season on Wednesday night, LeBron James had a change of heart, believing that a forgone season would not be beneficial to the players.
“Yahoo Sources: There was a change in position from last night with LeBron James, among others, relaying it was in their best interest to finish out the season,” tweeted Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
In a statement, Clippers coach Doc Rivers demanded a change in the police force, noting that his father was a cop.
“The training has to change in the police force. The unions have to be taken down in the police force. My dad was a cop. I believe in good cops,” he said. “We’re not trying to defund the police and take all their money away. We’re trying to get them to protect us, just like they protect everybody else.”
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