NBA Players Strike, Consider Ending Playoffs Early to Protest Jacob Blake Shooting

Enough.

Anyone who’s tuned into the NBA Playoffs live from the Disney bubble has seen promises of a #WholeNewGame, with only a select number of teams chosen for this mid-COVID, post-George Floyd restart.

Quarantined coaching staff sit in socially distanced seats on the bench, some wearing masks, while players compete on a court emblazoned with the words "Black Lives Matter", with many stars choosing urgent, NBA-approved social justice slogans such as "Equality", "Say Their Names" and "Vote".

It is bizarre television: professional sports projected from a seemingly dystopian future, yet happening now and all too real.

And though the games have been thoroughly entertaining, the political statements thoughtful, and the sacrifices of the players—who’ve been isolated from their families and friends for several months now—great, it may come to an anti-climactic end.

In the saddest twist of all, it’s not the global pandemic that could undo what has otherwise been a successful sports experiment, but the racism that pervades American culture and policing, following yet another excessive shooting of a Black man by officers of the law. His name is Jacob Blake, and his shooting has taken an emotional toll on many of the league's players and coaches.

I commend the players on the @Bucks for standing up for what they believe in, coaches like @DocRivers, and the @NBA and @WNBA for setting an example. It’s going to take all our institutions to stand up for our values. pic.twitter.com/rUGETgAt7P

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 27, 2020

15 seconds after a playoff game that came down to the wire and Chris Paul has this to say. What an incredible man. pic.twitter.com/iaQrPe2Q19

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) August 24, 2020

"We are scared as Black people in America."

LeBron James calls for justice following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin and encourages people to vote for change in November's election. https://t.co/BJBsC8QW4A pic.twitter.com/CpAp9rmEZF

— CNN (@CNN) August 25, 2020

Blake was shot seven times in the back on 19 August by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin (specifically, by Officer Rusten Sheskey). The police had been called to a house to attend to a domestic disturbance, which Blake's attorney says he was trying to break up. As Blake returned to his car, where his three children sat inside, he was fired upon. A knife was found in the vehicle but no other weapons were located, BBC reports.

Though Blake survived, he remains hospitalised in a serious condition. Nonetheless, protests have taken place in Kenosha over three consecutive nights, as citizens call for justice. The demonstrations took a fatal turn when a teenager identified as Kyle Rittenhouse shot two people and wounded a third, having arrived with a semi-automatic rifle to apparently support law enforcement. He has since been arrested and charged with homicide.

Yesterday, reports emerged that the socially-engaged NBA players were weighing up their options for the rest of the Playoffs, with Toronto’s Fred Van Vleet wondering what might happen if the Milwaukee Bucks, an Eastern Conference favourite, boycotted their next game and put pressure on team owners to contact "the district attorney's office, and state's attorney, and governors, and politicians there to make real change and get some justice" in Wisconsin. (There is incredible financial pressure on both the NBA and the team owners to fulfil their broadcast commitments, hence the restart.)

Fred VanVleet: "I was pretty excited and then we all had to watch Jacob Blake get shot yesterday. That changes the tone of things...It's just starting to feel like everything we're doing is just going through the motions, nothing's changing."

— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) August 25, 2020

Today, the Bucks did just that, with players refusing to leave their locker rooms ahead of their first round Game 5 match-up with the Orlando Magic. When it became apparent the Bucks would not emerge, Orlando players left the court in solidarity.

Magic players walking off the court after the Bucks boycott Game 5

(via @NBAonTNT)pic.twitter.com/zPcb7NUUbw

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 26, 2020

Bucks player Sterling Brown had a knee to his neck and was punched by Milwaukee PD for parking incorrectly.

Former Buck John Henson had the cops called on him while shopping for jewelry, just for being black.

This is personal to them.

— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) August 26, 2020

Everybody keeps calling this a boycott. The Bucks are not boycotting anything, they're withholding their labor, otherwise known as a strike. Call it what it is.

— Justin Charles (@justincharles) August 26, 2020

The players later explained their strike in a statement.

The Milwaukee Bucks statement: pic.twitter.com/F7XOPs4NqE

— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) August 26, 2020

"Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin, we’ve seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, and the additional shooting of protestors," they began.

"Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball. When we take the court and represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin, we are expected to play at a high level, give maximum effort and hold each other accountable. We hold ourselves to that standard, and in this moment, we are demanding the same from our lawmakers and law enforcement.

"We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable. For this to occur, it is imperative for the Wisconsin State Legislature to reconvene after months of inaction and take up meaningful measures to address issues of police accountability, brutality and criminal justice reform. We encourage all citizens to educate themselves, take peaceful and responsible action, and remember to vote on Nov. 3."

The NBA has since made the call to postpone the rest of the day’s games, while the players of the WNBA, in their separate bubble, similarly decided to strike, as did TNT presenter Kenny Smith.

Kenny The Jet Smith just walked out of NBA on TNT studios in solidarity with NBA players pic.twitter.com/XR4Y5yBE5z

— THE NBA Hustle➐ (@TheNBAHustle) August 26, 2020

Now the WNBA is sitting out their games tonight in protest of racist police violence. The WNBA has been leading on this question for years and this should be recognized when we have these conversations.

— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) August 26, 2020

However, despite the league’s hopes of continuing sooner rather than later, many players have begun taking informal polls as to whether or not they should end the Playoffs early, reported by connected insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers have voted to boycott the rest of the playoffs and were the first two teams to exit the meeting, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 27, 2020

The Clippers and Lakers voting on perhaps not continuing with the season was considered more of a polling, than a final vote, sources tell ESPN. The resumption of the playoffs remains still up in the air.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 27, 2020

Players will continue discussions tomorrow, as many were too "emotional" to decide on the season's status today.

Other sporting stars have been inspired to take action as well, with Major League Baseball teams Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds postponing their match today, and Naomi Osaka withdrawing from the semi-finals of the Southern Open.

pic.twitter.com/miKzgSdGxY

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) August 27, 2020

Clearly the players of the NBA are feeling that jerseys carrying the words "Enough" and "How Many More" are hollow gestures, despite their admirable intentions, especially during a Republican National Convention in which President Donald Trump decries protestors and lawlessness, and promotes a couple who threatened Black Lives Matters demonstrators with guns. Boston Nets' Kyrie Irving decided against participating in the bubble precisely for this reason, believing the restart to be a distraction from the real issues.

And yet it would be wrong to think this is only an American issue. Back home, Australian NBA star Ben Simmons is spearheading the #DoMore Challenge to combat racism, and is joined by fellow sports stars Nic Naitanui and Sam Kerr.

Australia, now is the time to #DoMore https://t.co/Y4UWBLlNYY

— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) August 25, 2020

Still, given the immense pressure being put on these young Black men and women, some having to remain isolated to continue their work and then being asked to constantly comment on the harrowing issues of the day (and of their lives), you have to wonder when those who can affect change at higher levels might help carry the load?

Header Image: Kevin C. Cox via GettyImages