[A debate heats up among NBA players over whether to return to the
court amid nationwide protests against racist violence. Many players
feel the issues of racial justice and stopping police violence are
pressing, now is not the time for pro basketball]
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NBA PLAYERS FACE THE QUESTION: TO BOYCOTT OR NOT TO BOYCOTT
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Dave Zirin
June 16, 2020
The Nation
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_ A debate heats up among NBA players over whether to return to the
court amid nationwide protests against racist violence. Many players
feel the issues of racial justice and stopping police violence are
pressing, now is not the time for pro basketball _
Protesters outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, in May,
2020., Erik McGregor / LightRocket / Getty // The Nation
Kyrie Irving, the All-Star point guard for the Brooklyn Nets, is
often mocked in the press for being, shall we say, “out there”
with his opinions on a wide array of subjects. It’s been debated
whether he has been sincere or engaged in performance art, mocking the
media’s willingness to take him seriously and furtively chase like
mice whatever crumbs he throws in their direction. Yet there is
nothing performative—not a hint of artifice—in the ideas that
Irving is currently expressing.
Irving has organized a coalition of players who range from hesitant to
militantly opposed to restarting the NBA season during the ongoing
pandemic as sequestered employees in a bubble in Orlando. With news of
recent coronavirus spikes in Florida, some players believe that
resuming the season is fundamentally unsafe. But others, including
Irving, have a different reason not to take the court right now: the
national movement against racist police violence. These players think
the issues of racial justice and stopping police violence are so
pressing at the moment that the NBA runs the risk of becoming a
distraction to the movement in the streets.
On a conference call with around 80 players, Irving said that he would
be “willing to give up everything” for the cause. He also said,
“I don’t support going into Orlando. I’m not with the systematic
racism and bullshit. Something smells a little fishy. Whether we want
to admit it or not, we are targeted as black men every day we wake
up.”
He isn’t alone in the belief that now is not the time for pro
basketball. Former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who was friends with
George Floyd and has been leading struggle in the streets, said on
Instagram:
I love the NBA, man. Now ain’t the time to be playing basketball,
y’all. Playing basketball is going to do one thing: take all the
attention away from the task at hand right now and what we’re
fighting for.
These players are serious about the politics of what they are
proposing, and the risks. Also on the conference call with players was
1968 Olympic bronze medalist Dr. John Carlos, who gave them an earful
about the need for the struggles of the past. Carlos also gave his
firsthand account of deciding whether to boycott or bring the politics
to the field of play: the fundamental question that black athletes
faced in the lead up to the 1968 games.
The group of rebels, which includes players from the WNBA and people
who work in the entertainment industry, issued a statement to Adrian
Wojnarowski at ESPN that reads in part
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We are a group of men and women from different teams and industries
that are normally painted as opponents, but have put our egos and
differences aside to make sure we stand united and demand honesty
during this uncertain time. Native indigenous African Caribbean men
and women entertaining the world, we will continue to use our voices
and platforms for positive change and truth.
We are truly at an inflection point in history where as a collective
community, we can band together—UNIFY—and move as one. We need all
our people with us and we will stand together in solidarity.
As an oppressed community we are going on 500-plus years of being
systemically targeted, used for our IP [intellectual property]/Talent,
and also still being killed by the very people that are supposed to
“protect and serve” us.
WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH!
This effort is already running up against obstacles. Two of the
biggest mouths in sports media, Stephen A. Smith and Charles Barkley,
have voiced their displeasure with Irving. Fans are up in arms. And,
of course, there are NBA players, including union President Chris Paul
and—the most powerful of them all—LeBron James, who all want to
get back to the season.
The players who want to play say they want to use the rest of the
season to promote social justice initiatives. And that’s what is
most encouraging. No one is saying that they should shut up and
dribble. It’s a tactical argument about what would make the greater
impact: playing and spreading the message to fans about what needs to
be done, or not playing and having the absence of the NBA speak louder
than any on-court demonstration in the Orlando bubble ever could.
What is particularly fascinating is that it is not NBA Commissioner
Adam Silver or union Executive Director Michele Roberts who are going
to make the final decision. Silver has even said, “If a player
chooses not to come, it’s not a breach of his contract. We accept
that.” This will ultimately come down to what players want and how
they feel they can most effectively agitate for change.
_[Dave Zirin is the sports editor of The Nation.]_
_Copyright c 2020The Nation. Reprinted with permission. May not be
reprinted without permission
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Distributed by PARS International Corp
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