The NBA is beginning to get some pushback from certain players about restarting the season in Orlando next month amid racial tensions in the country.
Yahoo Sports’ Chris B. Haynes is reporting that several black players feel uncomfortable playing in a bubble environment while Black Lives Matters protests take place around the country.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 12, 2020
But because of the George Floyd tragedy and the powerful movement for racial justice that’s sweeping the nation, some players believe it’s bad optics for a league comprised predominantly of black men to be sequestered in one location for up to three months merely to entertain the masses and ease the league’s economic burden, sources said.
“What message are we sending by agreeing to this during this time?” a black player told Yahoo Sports. “We’re out here marching and protesting, and yet we all leave our families in these scary times and gather to perform at a place where the owners won’t be at? What type of sense does that make? We’ll be going backwards. That place isn’t that magical.”
Apparently Kyrie Irving has been the “driving force” behind the scenes and believes that players should consider not playing during this period of racial tension in the United States”.
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) June 12, 2020
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 12, 2020
While Kyrie believes players should consider sitting out, other players think playing would give them a bigger platform to deliver their message for change in the country.
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) June 12, 2020
Separately, I can say there are prominent players who believe that Disney – and all those viewer eyeballs – provide an enormous stage on which to make statements to demand societal change. https://t.co/SvjBx50NLp
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) June 12, 2020
