The NBA Wednesday postponed three scheduled playoff games — Game 5 of Magic-Bucks, Thunder-Rockets and Blazers-Lakers — after a wave of player protest that began with Bucks players opting not to take the court. The league says the games will be rescheduled, though it was not clear how much say it has in that matter.
Players have been increasingly vocal about police brutality against African Americans, most recently the shooting of Wisconsin man Jacob Blake on Sunday.
Prior to NBA players decamping for the league’s “bubble” environment at Walt Disney World in Orlando, there had been opposition among players who believed that resuming play would distract from national protests against police brutality. The league sought to allay those concerns by ramping up social justice messaging in games, including painting the message “Black Lives Matter” on the court and allowing players to advocate for racial equality on the back of their jerseys.
NBA players had considered sitting out playoff games during the 2014 playoffs, after then-Clippers owner Donald Sterling was heard on leaked audio making racist comments.
It is highly unlikely that the postponements will be limited to Wednesday’s games. Even before the Bucks boycott on Wednesday, players on the Celtics and Raptors had been discussing a boycott of their scheduled second round opener on Thursday.
The NBA season was previously suspended for four months due to an ongoing pandemic.
[News from NBA]
