Sun promise to speak for victims and the unheard

The WNBA postponed games for the second consecutive day as players reacted to events in Wisconsin this week.

The announcement was made by Nneka Ogwumike, president of the WNBA Players Association, during the 2 p.m. “Sports Center” broadcast on ESPN as part of a roundtable including five other current players.

Ogwumike said WNBA games, played at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, could continue on Friday.

“I feel like as a group we decided last night that we want to play,” Ogwumike said. “There are games scheduled tomorrow and that’s what we’re ready to do. That doesn’t come without of course demands of players to continue to amplify our voices in more ways than when we came here. We realize that the work is not easy but we also realize that the work is never done.

“There are things that happen that just allow us to take a moment, that’s fair, we can take a moment and in that moment, we came together and we decided that we need time for ourselves to come back, regroup and continue to amplify our voices, be there for our communities and demand change from the leaders that are representing us right now.”

Ogwumike was joined by

former Connecticut Sun players Layshia Clarendon of the New York Liberty and Elizabeth Williams of the Atlanta Dream, former UConn star Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm, and the Indiana Fever’s Natalie Achonwa. The rest of the WNBA players locked arms as they listened to their colleagues deliver the news.

“It’s important to note that this is not a strike, this is not a boycott, this is affirmatively a day of reflection, a day of informed action and mobilization,” Ogwumike said.

Ogwumike named several women who were victims of police violence and said the quest to push for social change won’t end when WNBA action resumes Friday.

There was a vigil attended by the WNBA players after the three scheduled games were postponed Wednesday night following a similar move by the NBA. Some Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer contests were also called off Wednesday.

“A vigil that was very long overdue,” Clarendon said. “We’re all dealing with a lot of hurt and pain and loss in all of 2020. People forget that we’re athletes but we’re not machines, we show up every day and we have to perform through anything that’s going on in the world. We needed a pause, we needed a break, we needed a moment of healing, of reflection of pause because it’s been heavy, it’s been very difficult to carry every single day so we’re trying to figure out how to have that self-care for ourselves to protect ourselves, to protect how hard it is to play in the bubble.”

Seeking justice for victims like Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake is only part of what the WNBA players are pushing for. Bird addressed the importance of voting in the upcoming and ensuing elections.

“I think we’ve all made it known, voting is that actual item,” Bird said. “Affecting change comes in a lot of forms and as important as it is to be out in the streets, to be out protesting, to keeping that energy up, we have to take that energy to the polls because people like Daniel Cameron (Kentucky’s attorney general) are voted in their position, people like the DA, the AG of Wisconsin (are) voted into their position, so if you want to create that change and you want officials in office who represent your values, you have to go out and vote. You have to take your pain, you have to take your frustration, you have to take that energy and you have to take it to the polls, it’s that simple.”

The Connecticut Sun’s anticipated matchup against the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night was one of three games postponed as part of the WNBA players’ protest following the shooting of Blake and the ensuing violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Blake, a Black man, was shot in the back seven times by Kenosha police, and two people were killed in a shooting at a protest in the city this week.

The Sun players released a statement through the team detailing the thought process behind the move.

“Our decision to not play in last night’s game came after careful thought and deliberation. It is important for us as basketball players and humans to acknowledge and stand against the continued instances of social injustice that happen on a daily basis in this country. As we reflect on the senseless violence and grieve collectively as mothers, daughters and women, we will continue to advocate for the victimized and unheard.

“We would like to thank our community for your ongoing support and invite you to stay engaged through our Change Can’t Wait campaign.”

The Sun will face the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday at 8 p.m.

The WNBA said in a statement that information regarding the rescheduling of Wednesday’s and Thursday’s games will be provided when available.