Jacob Blake: NBA Players Refuse to Participate in Playoffs as a Protest

Jacob Blake: NBA Players Refuse to Participate in Playoffs as a Protest

There will be a postponement of three NBA playoff matches this week. As per the league’s official announcement, the players are all protesting against the shooting of Jacob Blake. Therefore, all the games stand canceled until later schedule.

In its statement, the NBA says that the entire association, including the players, is following the Milwaukee Bucks team’s decision to not hit the ground for the fifth game opposite the Orlando Magic team. Following this incident, all three games- Magic Vs. Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers Vs. Los Angeles Lakers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder Vs. Houston Rockets were postponed. Ultimately, the fifth match of each of the series will commence later.

Jacob Blake was a Black man who was brutally shot several times by Kenosha police in Wisconsin. People in the region and all across America are protesting all through the week following the incident.

Presently, Blake has been diagnosed as partially paralyzed. He has lost all sensations from his waist down.

The NBA protests became evident when both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic did not appear in court for the match. The start timing was 4 pm, but not a single player was ready to play. Therefore, the association took the final initiative to announce the postponement publicly. By then, all the NBA officials were already aware that all other teams are going to boycott the playoffs too.

Coaches and players are all protesting against the shooting of Jacob Black

Marc Lasry, the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks team, was in full support of the team’s decision. During an interview with CNBC, he says that the team has his back in what they want to do.

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Lasry believes that it is essential that the players express their way of protest if that can bring a positive change in society. On the other hand, the senior VP of the Bucks, Alex Lasry, took to his Twitter handle to show solidarity with the players. He says that there are things that are bigger than the game too. The initiative at the end of the NBA and the players shows that everyone is fed up. It is now time for a change, and he will proudly support all the players who are protesting.

On the other hand, in Bradenton, Florida, on Wednesday, August 26, three matches were scheduled. The Atlanta Vs. Washington, Los Angeles Vs. Minnesota, and Phoenix Vs. Connecticut matches were going to take place. However, players from the Lynx, Mystics, Sparks, and Dream were all busy discussing whether they wanted to continue with the matches.

The final announcement happened a couple of minutes before the scheduled time of 7 pm. EDT. All four teams took a knee at center court and left it as a sign of protest against the shooting of Jacob Blake.

The “Black Lives Matter” protest continues

A couple of weeks back, the NBA season resumed after a break with all the necessary safety measures. Besides, Disney Bubble is a chance for the players, staff, and coaches to protest against systemic racism in the USA. Moreover, several players also chose to wear protest slogans on their team jerseys, and “Black Lives Matter” is also printed on the court.

After the victory of the Los Angeles Clippers over the Dallas Mavericks, Doc Rivers, coach of the Clippers, spoke about his opinion regarding the shooting of Jacob Blake as well. He also mentioned the condition of racism in the country overall.

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On the other hand, Steve Ballmer, Clippers owner, and Former CEO of Microsoft took to Twitter to raise his voice against the tragedy.

Ballmer says that he is angry over the shooting incident and supports the players and Doc Rivers. The people of America indeed require proper police accountability. Citizens must have the information to do so. Besides, everyone now needs reformation of criminal justice. Everyone must make sure that no one in the nation is afraid or imprisoned without reason. Ballmer also highlights that it is time for people to choose their leaders and representatives wisely in another tweet.

Former President Barrack Obama soon tweeted that he is in full support of the Milwaukee Bucks Team’s decision.

Moreover, Mr. Obama praised Doc Rivers and the entire WNBA and NBA for taking a stand and setting the correct example.

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