Grizzlies coach educating himself as players speak out
Taylor Jenkins can't wear a slogan when the Grizzlies resume play July 31. But as his players reflected on social injustice over the past two months, so has the Grizzlies coach.
On Sunday night, the team watched and discussed "13th," Ava Duvernay's Oscar-nominated documentary about the role race has played in mass incarceration in the United States since slavery.
For Jenkins, it's continuing his own education. As his players have spoken up about systemic racism and police brutality, he's listening and asking what more he can do.
"It definitely starts with awareness, whether it's meeting with certain groups in our city, having conversations one on one, wearing a shirt, wearing a Black Lives Matter band," Jenkins said. "I want to make this a conscious decision that I'm fully supportive of being a part of this change and I, myself, want to be someone that's educated even more."
Jenkins has worn T-shirts supporting league causes, including one that says "We cannot walk alone," referring to a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. But in January, before the Grizzlies' annual Martin Luther King Celebration Day game, he said he hadn't visited the National Civil Rights Museum, which is a few minutes south of Fedexforum.
While he didn't say whether he attended the museum before it closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenkins took more steps after the death of George Floyd in May. In addition to the team's weekly chats on Zoom, he said he talked to players individually and encouraged them to share how they're feeling.
He declined to say what went into those conversations but called them positive dialogues that challenged him to educate himself more.
"I'm only 35 and this has been centuries of inequalities, and I've got to learn better. I got to be better myself," he said.
"The change starts with me and how can I take that into my family, part of our team, part of our community. I think everyone's really fully embracing that."
Like his players, he's hopeful the NBA'S restart will shine a light on the variety of issues addressed throughout the country. Eight Grizzlies players so far have said they will wear Nba-approved slogans on their jerseys.
Even though Jenkins can't wear anything, he wants his actions to reflect what he's learning besides supporting his players.
"This is a great platform, but this isn't a time to stop. This is something that's going to be every day moving forward for the rest of my life, and that's going to be same for many of us in the Grizzlies' organization as well," Jenkins said.