Current NBA players have expressed concerns about resuming games in July, not only because of the potential health risk posed by the novel coronavirus outbreak, but because of the current social and political climate that has taken over the United States and the world.
Stephen Jackson, who played 14 years in the NBA, has been directly affected by the latter, and believes the NBA restarting next month will adversely affect recent progress made in the fight against systemic racism.
Jackson’s friend, George Floyd, was killed in Minneapolis on May 25 while in police custody under suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. An officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes, and Floyd’s death sparked nationwide protests, now in their third week, calling out racial injustice and seeking an end to police brutality.
Jackson, who has referred to Floyd as his brother because of their physical resemblance in addition to their close bond, has taken part in the protests and has been vocal about his desire to get justice for his friend and reform police behavior. Jackson took to Instagram on Saturday to give his thoughts on his former employer’s attempt to resume the season in the midst of social upheaval.
“I love the NBA, man. That’s my family,” Jackson began. “But now ain’t the time to be playing basketball, y’all. Now ain’t the time. Playing basketball is gonna do one thing, take all the attention off the task at hand right now and what we fighting for.
“Everybody gonna be worried about the playoffs. They gonna have all that blasting all over the TV, and nobody’s gonna be talking about getting justice for all these senseless murders by the police and nobody’s gonna be focused on the task at hand, bro.
“None of these white owners have spoken up. None of ‘em are taking a stand. Yeah, they might post a video when the season start of saying what we should do, but they ain’t doing nothing. Playing basketball ain’t gonna do nothin’ but make them money and take the attention off what we fighting for, what we marching for. It’s bigger than all of us and it’s bigger than the game. I’m sad that we still gotta explain that to people, bro. Sad.”
The NBA, which hasn’t played a game since March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic, plans to resume its season with 22 teams. Players are set to report to their markets by June 22, with the league resuming regular-season play on July 30 in Orlando. On a Friday call involving more than 75 players, some expressed skepticism over health protocols and the idea of being sequestered away from family for up to three months.
Others took stances similar to Jackson’s.
“I don’t support going into Orlando,” Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving said on the call, according to The Athletic. “I’m not with the systematic racism and the (expletive). … Something smells a little fishy. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are targeted as black men every day we wake up.”
Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard sided with Irving, telling CNN in a statement through his agent, “I agree with Kyrie (Irving). Basketball, or entertainment period, isn’t needed at this moment, and will only be a distraction.”
Irving’s teammate, Garrett Temple, disagreed, stating players receiving their paychecks as a result of playing will further empower their ability to fight social injustice.
“The difference in the economic gap between white America and black America is astronomical,” Temple told ESPN. “I can’t in good conscience tell my brethren to throw away millions of dollars in order to create change that I don’t see the direct impact of – if there was a direct impact of laws changing, that would be a different story.”
Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers echoed Temple’s sentiment, stating “99% of the NBA hasn’t made the money a guy like Kyrie has.”
“I love Kyrie’s passion toward helping this movement,” Rivers wrote on Instagram. “It’s admirable and inspiring. I’m with it … but not at the cost of the whole NBA and players’ careers. We can do both.”
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