NBA playoffs to resume
Games are set to resume Saturday as the league and players create a path forward.
The games are back on. Following a strike by the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday done in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha on Sunday, the entire NBA ground to a halt. Over the past two days, though, a series of meetings involving players, owners, the league office, the players association and more have created a path forward and the league is set to get going again.
All 13 teams remaining at the Walt Disney World campus returned to practice Friday, though many teams, including the Bucks, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat, chose not to participate in the media availability typically held before or
after practice. The Bucks issued the following statement about their choice not to speak with the media Friday:
"As we return to the court today, our team focus will be on our overall performance and well-being. That said, we will not have media availability today."
Playoff games will resume Saturday, with the Bucks and Orlando Magic starting things off at 2:30 p.m. with Game 5 of their first-round playoff series. The Bucks lead that series, 3-1.
Getting back to playing was not something the players, owners and league took lightly.
The players, in particular, wanted to make sure their collective strike – one that forced postponements Wednesday, Thursday and Friday – led to concrete and meaningful changes that would address issues of social injustice that had led the Bucks to stay in the locker room in the first place.
On Friday, NBPA Executive Director
Michele Roberts and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a joint statement outlining the commitments that have allowed the season to continue.
The full statement reads as follows:
“We had a candid, impassioned and productive conversation yesterday between NBA players, coaches and team governors regarding next steps to further our collective efforts and actions in support of social justice and racial equality.
Among others, the attendees included player and team representatives of all 13 teams in Orlando. All parties agreed to resume NBA playoff games on Saturday, Aug. 29 with the understanding that the league together with the players will work to enact the following commitments:
1. The NBA and its players have agreed to immediately establish a social justice coalition, with representatives from players, coaches and governors, that will be focused on a broad range of issues, including increasing access to voting, promoting civic engagement, and advocating for meaningful police and criminal justice reform.
2. In every city where the league franchise owns and controls the arena property, team governors will continue to work with local elections officials to convert the facility into a voting location for the 2020 general election to allow for a safe in-person voting option for communities vulnerable to COVID. If a deadline has passed, team governors will work with local elections officials to find another election-related use for the facility, including but not limited to voter registration and ballot receiving boards.
3. The league will work with the players and our network partners to create and include advertising spots in each NBA playoff game dedicated to promoting greater civic engagement in national and local elections and raising awareness around voter access and opportunity.
“These commitments follow months of close collaboration around designing a safe and healthy environment to restart the NBA season, providing a platform to promote social justice, as well as creating an NBA Foundation focused on economic empowerment in the Black community.
“We look forward to the resumption of the playoffs and continuing to work together – in Orlando and in all NBA team markets – to push for meaningful and sustainable change.”