Magic coach Steve Clifford hopeful more change will follow conviction.

Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford said he first and foremost felt relieved after a jury on Tuesday found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter for the death of George Floyd.

Clifford said he watched as much of the trial as he could, and initially felt like the evidence — specifically a cellphone video of Floyd’s death and testimony from the Minneapolis police chief — was overwhelmingly against Chauvin, who held his knee on Floyd’s neck for 9½ minutes on May 25, 2020. But after watching and listening to legal experts discuss the case, Clifford said he grew more skeptical about a conviction.

“I got concerned because a number of them (experts) talked about all you needed was one juror to see things in a different light,” Clifford told reporters before tipoff of Tuesday’s game in Atlanta against the Hawks. “And then the decision could have gone otherwise. I can’t lie. Coming into this, I think like a lot of other people, I was very concerned. So one, it was a relief.”

The jury found Chauvin, 45, guilty on one count of second-degree murder, one count of third-degree murder and one count second-degree manslaughter. He could be sentenced to decades in prison.

Clifford said he then turned his thoughts to Floyd’s family.

“We all deal with losing people close to us, family or other close friends, in a different way,” Clifford said. “I can only imagine what they’ve been going through and hopefully this can start to bring some sense of closure

because, unless there’s something that goes on, justice will be served.”

Clifford, who is involved in a number of social justice issues in Central Florida, said he hopes the impact of the verdict helps lead to positive and sustainable change in the criminal justice and policing systems. He said the best place for such change to start is at the local level.

A number of NBA teams released a statement following the verdict, including the Magic. Their statement reads:

“As we look forward from today’s verdict, we do so with the realization that the events of May 25, 2020 — the killing of George Floyd — will remain with all of us much longer. Much work remains ahead. The Orlando Magic remain steadfast in its commitment to the critical work of promoting greater civic engagement, equality and social justice for all, and advocating for meaningful police and criminal justice reform.”

The NBA and NBPA released a joint statement. It reads:

“George Floyd’s murder was a flash point for how we look at race and justice in our country, and we are pleased that justice appears to have been served. But we also recognize that there is much work to be done and the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association, together with our newly-formed Social Justice Coalition, will redouble our efforts to advocate for meaningful change in the areas of criminal justice and policing.”