Pope Francis meets with basketball players to discuss social justice issues

Five players from the National Basketball Association met with Pope Francis at the Vatican this week to discuss social justice issues following a season where combating racial inequality was a dominant theme.

The players who met the Pope were Anthony Tolliver, Kyle Korver, Sterling Brown, Jonathan Isaac and Marco Belinelli as well as Players Association executive director Michele Roberts.

“Today's meeting was an incredible experience,” Tolliver, who plays power forward for the Memphis Grizzlies, was quoted as saying in an NBPA news release.

“With the Pope's support and blessing, we are excited to head into this next season reinvigorated to keep pushing for change and bringing our communities together.”

Video of the meeting showed the players presenting the Pope with gifts including an Orlando Magic jersey.

Roberts said the meeting validated the power of the players' voices.

“That one of the most influential leaders in the world sought to have a conversation with them demonstrates the influence of their platforms,” said Roberts. “I remain inspired by our players' continued commitment to serve and support our community.”

The league and its players ramped up their calls for system- wide reforms last season after the death in May of George Floyd, a Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis in an incident that was captured on video.

The COVID- 19 interrupted season resumed inside a bio- secure bubble in Florida with players wearing social justice messages on their jerseys and “Black Lives Matter” printed on the basketball courts.

The new NBA regular season is scheduled to kick off in less than a month on December 22.

Rockets sign Cousins

Free agent center DeMarcus Cousins has agreed to a 1- year deal with the Houston Rockets.

The deal is not guaranteed, which allows the Rockets to gauge Cousins's health heading into the season, according to The Athletic and ESPN. The veteran big man has appeared in only 78 games over the last three seasons as he dealt with significant injuries such as a ruptured Achilles tendon and a torn ACL.

The 30- year- old Kentucky product played most recently for the Golden State Warriors during the 2018/ 19 season. He averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds in 30 games, all of them starts.

In 565 career games ( 543 starts), Cousins has averaged 21.2 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. He is a fourtime All- Star, last earning the honor in 2018.

Morris returning to Lakers Los Angeles free agent Markieff Morris on Monday tweeted his intent to return to the Lakers next season.

‘ Run it back!' Morris tweeted with the hashtag # Lakeshow.

The Athletic reported Morris agreed to a one- year minimum deal – $ 2.3 million.

Morris averaged 9.7 points per game in split time between the Detroit Pistons ( 44 games) and the Lakers ( 14). Morris joined the Lakers in February after negotiating a buyout from the Pistons.

Morris was a key cog in the Lakers' run to the NBA title, shooting 42 percent from three- point range during the playoffs, playing 21 games ( two starts). Morris is a career 34.5- percent shooter from long range.

Morris has averaged 11.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for his nineyear career. The Lakers are Morris's fifth team. ( Reuters)