Paul: Players will still be heard
In just over a month, 22 of the NBA’s 30 teams will step onto a court and do something they have not done since mid-March: They will play in a basketball game. With the NBA resuming the season in the middle of a novel coronavirus pandemic and protests on racial inequality, the league plans to do much more than determine its champion.
“It’s never a shut up and dribble situation,” Chris Paul, the Thunder guard and NBA players union president, said Friday in a conference call. “You’re going to continue to hear us.”
How will the NBA and its players ensure that their voices are heard? NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NBPA executive director Michele Roberts, Paul and NBPA first vice president Andre Iguodala did not share definitive plans. Yet they offered a few clues. Silver said the NBA has created a foundation “to expand educational and economic opportunities across the Black community.” The NBA and the NBPA announced last week that they are “both committed to fostering an environment that encourages candid conversations between players and league and team leadership and finding tangible and sustainable ways to address racial inequality across the country.”
It is not immediately clear if the NBA will allow players, coaches and staff members to protest during the national anthem. Or if NBA teams will wear Black Lives Matter slogans on their jersey as soccer’s English Premier League. did Or which guest speakers the NBA will invite to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
“I won’t tell you much specifically, but there is such an opportunity for our players both to learn and to teach and to promote and advance,” Roberts said. “This is truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Nearly two weeks ago, some NBA players expressed concern if this was the right opportunity to pursue.
Nets star Kyrie Irving, who is also on the NBPA’s executive committee, led a conference call expressing concern on whether a resumed NBA season would distract from efforts to address racial inequality and police brutality. Lakers center Dwight Howard, Lakers guard Avery Bradley and Clippers guard Lou Williams expressed similar sentiments.
During the league’s hiatus, players have posted social media messages decrying law enforcement for killing unarmed Black people, and some have participated in peaceful protests. LeBron James formed a group to address voter suppression and increase voter turnout. The Timberwolves and the Lakers added programs to address racial justice among players and staff.