NBA Players, Union Discussing Boycott of Playoff Games

After members of the Toronto Raptors indicated they were considering skipping Game 1 of their second-round playoff series in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake, the NBA Players Association executive committee is in active discussions with players about possibly staging a boycott, Yahoo Sports reports.

A group of players who feel “emotionally traumatized” by the video of Blake being shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, held a meeting Tuesday night at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, sources told Yahoo’s Chris Haynes. Players held conversations about what actions they could take following the latest police shooting.

Social justice has been at the forefront of the NBA bubble. The phrase “Black Lives Matter” can be found on T-shirts and on the court as players kneel for the national anthem. Players and coaches have spoken about recent incidents of police brutality and demanded justice for those that have been killed.

“It's amazing why we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back,” an emotional Doc Rivers said Tuesday night after his Los Angeles Clippers won a pivotal playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks. “It's really so sad. Like, I should just be a coach. I'm so often reminded of my color. It's just really sad. We got to do better. But we got to demand better.”

Rivers warned players against letting those who commit police brutality take away their chance to compete for an NBA championship.

Some players have told the committee they are not in the right frame of mind to play basketball, Yahoo reports. Players are discussing what more can be done inside the bubble in Orlando, Florida to raise awareness about social and racial injustice.

NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts has tried to convince the union not to boycott games, The Athletic reports.

“It’s not something you can resolve overnight,” Roberts told The Athletic on Tuesday. “But the answer is identifying all these sons of b------ that are not prosecuting these cops, and voting them out of office, and getting DAs, and getting mayors, and getting police commissioners that are going to let these law enforcement rogue officers know that this is intolerable, and we will lock you up. That’s the answer. And so, they can boycott a game all they want, but the answer is we’ve got to do some affirmative action that’s not going to be an overnight solution. But there is a solution – get these people out that have the ability to really affect change.”

LeBron James, who spoke about Blake when he was interviewed on the court immediately after the Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff win Monday night, started More Than a Vote in June. The nonprofit organization aims to fight voter suppression in Black electoral districts.

When the season was suspended during the coronavirus pandemic, James was one of the leading voices pushing for the NBA to return. A notable group of players voiced their concerns over being secluded in one location during the league’s restart while protests raged across the country.

“I don’t support going into Orlando,” Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving told roughly 80 players on June 12 conference call, The Athletic reported. “I’m not with the systematic racism and the bull----. … Something smells a little fishy. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are targeted as black men every day we wake up.”

Players were given the option to stay home if they were among the 22 teams invited to the NBA bubble. Their only penalty would be forfeiting pay for the season’s final eight games.

Irving told players that he was willing to give “everything I have” for social reform, according to The Athletic.

Before the start of the season, Irving signed a four-year, $136 million contract with the Nets. He has made $126.9 million in his career and could certainly afford to walk away from the NBA and focus on social justice reform.

Roberts believes players can still make a difference by continuing to use their platform as superstar athletes.

“What are you going to do? Are you going to do what (Maya) Moore did?” Roberts said she asked the NBA players, referencing the WNBA star who stepped away from professional basketball to focus on criminal justice advocacy. “If you’re telling me that you’re going to do that, then I’m the last person (to stop you). In fact, I’ll push you out the door if you’re saying, ‘I’m going to stop playing basketball in order to work exclusively for the movement.’ Absolutely.

"I’m not only not going to try and stop you; I’m going to push you out the door ’cause I think it’s so laudable. But if you’re going to tell me that you’re not going to play, and not play, and not do anything, then, OK, you can do that too. …If you’re so disgusted you don’t want to play, that’s fine.

“But, ask yourself: is anyone going to be sticking a mic in your face if you go back to fill-in-the-blank town and don’t play? Would they even have a mic in your face right now if you weren’t here, in the bubble, and you were home? Don’t ignore the power of your goddamn platform. The world is watching this bubble.”

Toronto and Boston are scheduled to play Game 1 of their series at 6:30 p.m. EDT Thursday night. Players from the two teams will meet Wednesday night to further discuss a potential boycott, The Undefeated reports.