Los Angeles Lakers And Clippers Vote To Boycott Rest Of Season

The impact of the Jacob Blake shooting has sparked immediate action from the NBA as teams have expressed their disdain on the recent events. For the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers, they recently voted to boycott the rest of the season.

Th tragic shooting has sparked a discussion among other organizations across the league as they’ve expressed that the issue is bigger than basketball. The Lakers and Clippers have been more than vocal about the situation, as they’ve voted not to play the remainder of the season, per NBA insider Shams Charania.

Several reports surfaced after the meeting, some claiming Lakers superstar LeBron James angrily stormed out of the meeting. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the player votes were not final and that discussions will continue through Thursday.

Both teams are ahead of their respective playoff series as the Clippers lead the Dallas Mavericks 3-2. The Lakers are also a win away to secure a spot in the next round as they’re on top of the Portland Trail Blazers, 3-1. These two squads are the top two seeds in the Western Conference and are among the favorites to win this year’s NBA championship.

“Every team besides Lakers and Clippers voted to continue playing. LeBron James said in meeting he want owners to be more involved/take action,” Charania tweeted.

This comes after the Milwaukee Bucks opted not to play in their playoff match as a sign of protest in the tragic shooting of Blake that happened in Kenosha Wisconsin. The violent act of the law enforcer shooting the man seven times was caught on camera and has led to him being paralyzed.

“We fully support our players and the decision they made. Although we did not know beforehand, we would have wholeheartedly agreed with them. The only way to bring about change is to shine a light on the racial injustices that are happening in front of us. Our players have done that and we will continue to stand alongside them and demand accountability and change,” the Bucks said in a statement.

Several sporting leagues across the country have also followed the act of protesting as seen in three MLB games postponing their scheduled matchups. To add to these, Naomi Osaka has also pulled out of her Western & Southern Open semifinal as a sign of protest.