Showing united front
Players usher in league’s return with unified gestures
Players and coaches from the Pelicans and Jazz knelt alongside one another before the first game of the NBA restart on Thursday night, an unprecedented image for the league in unprecedented times.
The coaches — the Pelicans’ Alvin Gentry and Jazz’s Quin Snyder — were next to one another, their arms locked together. Some players raised a fist as the final notes of “The Star-Spangled Banner” were played, the first of what is expected to be many silent statements calling for racial justice and equality following the deaths of, among others, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in recent months.
Even the game referees took a knee during the pregame scene, which occurred with the teams lined up along the sideline nearest where “Black Lives Matter” was painted onto the court. In the second game Thursday, the Lakers and the Clippers did the same thing during the anthem preceding their matchup.
“It’s so important at this point for us to be unified and be able to peacefully protest many of the critical things that are going on in the country right now,” Snyder said.
The NBA has a rule going back to the early 1980s that players must stand for the national anthem. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, anticipating that players would kneel during these games at Walt Disney World, has made clear that he supports peaceful protests.
Many players warmed up wearing shirts that said “Black Lives Matter.“Thursday also marked the debut of new jerseys bearing messages that many players chose to have added, such as “Equality” and “Peace.”
The NBA season was suspended when Rudy Gobert of the Jazz tested positive for the coronavirus and became the first player in the league with such a diagnosis. Gobert was diagnosed on March 11.
Jazz rally: Rudy Gobert sank two free throws with 6.9 seconds left to cap a 14-point, 12-rebound and three-block performance, giving the Jazz a 106-104 victory over the Pelicans in the first game of the NBA’s restart.
The Pelicans, who led for most of the game and by as many as 16 points, nearly pulled out the victory as time expired when Brandon Ingram’s 3-point attempt rimmed out in a bitter end to his 23-point night.
Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson, who missed nearly two weeks of practice after leaving the team for a family medical matter on July 16, was deemed fit to start, although his playing time was limited. He scored 13 points in just more than 15 minutes, highlighted by a couple alley-oop dunks, one on a nearly half-court lob from Lonzo Ball.
Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points for the Jazz and helped lead a second-half comeback, while Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley each added 20.
Pair will miss Bucks’ restart: Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer says guards Eric Bledsoe and Pat Connaughton won’t play Friday against the Celtics after both players arrived late to Florida because they had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Budenholzer hasn’t announced a timeline for when either player could appear in a game. He said getting them at least a couple of five-on-five practice sessions and some three-on-three work will be important for their conditioning and developing a rhythm.
Knicks makeit official: After bringing the Bulls to their greatest success since Michael Jordan and helping the Timberwolves returned to the playoffs after a 13-year absence, Tom Thibodeau faces another challenge with the Knicks.
“This a dream come true for me,” said Thibodeau, who was introduced as Knicks coach. “This is my dream job.”
Thibodeau, 62, is 352-246 in eight seasons coaching the Bulls and Timberwolves.