Players aren’t done effecting change
Almost a week later, the Milwaukee Bucks' decision not to play in last Wednesday's playoff game against the Orlando Magic – a choice that unintentionally led the rest of the teams in the bubble to join them and a full NBA stoppage for three days – is still making waves.
On Tuesday, Bucks assistant coach Vin Baker and senior vice president Alex Lasry were featured in a virtual interview on Politico Playbook, where they discussed the reasons for the Bucks' protest, how it has been received and what they hope comes of it.
Baker was involved in the decision, one that stemmed from Bucks guard George Hill's personal choice to sit out the game in light of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha on Aug. 23 and the unrest that ensued. Hill told Baker of his feelings and potential plan to sit out over the phone last Wednesday and the two discussed it further over breakfast. Hill didn't alert his teammates until minutes before the game as to not pressure them into joining him, which they chose to do on their own.
“The level of care that the Bucks have in that locker room from coaching staff to players, again, from different backgrounds, it was overwhelming,” Baker said. “So, the decision is some ways was easy. It was like, we made this decision from our heart and then we educate ourselves. … It all started from compassion and a level care, which I think everybody, everybody should have.”
The Bucks' decision and the leaguewide strike that it caused have led numerous people in the political arena to comment. President Donald Trump, who appeared in Kenosha on Tuesday, has denounced the NBA and tweeted about its ratings. His senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, took his own shot at the league, saying, “NBA players are very fortunate that they have the financial position where they're able to take a night off from work without having to have the consequences to themselves financially.”
Both Baker and Lasry took issue when asked about that particular statement.
“I think Kushner's comments are a little ironic coming from him,” said Lasry, the son of one of the team's co-owners, Marc Lasry. “As has been said, this wasn't anyone taking a night off and then just going back to their hotel room being like, ‘Eh, I just didn't want to play today.' This was a statement and this was an act to say enough is enough, and if you guys aren't going to take this seriously, we're going to have to do something to bring this to the forefront again and hopefully force people to act.”
In the days since the Bucks' protest, the NBA and its players association have teamed up on action aimed at encouraging social and racial justice as well as police reform. That includes strongly encouraging teams to offer their arenas as voting centers or places where people can register to vote. On Monday, the Bucks announced Fiserv Forum will be used as an early voting location ahead of the November 3 general election.
Over the past few years, more athletes and sports figures have become prominent political and social figures. As a former NBA player, Baker said he believes that platform has always existed and that many athletes of his generation – players who were active in the 1990s and early 2000s – used it in ways that weren't as amplified.
“I don't want to knock my generation for not being involved … but I know when you watch someone die on camera or you watch someone being beaten or shot on camera the reactions are much different than what they would have been in my generation,” Baker said. “I commend our young players. It was a very brave act and it just shows the level of character and compassion these young men have.
“What they did last week will outlast their basketball career.”