Bucks boycott prompts postponements, NBA season in ‘jeopardy’
The completion of the NBA season is in jeopardy after a boycott by the Bucks triggered the NBA to postpone all three of Wednesday’s playoff games and sparked a players meeting in which LeBron James reportedly was among those opposed to finishing the postseason.
Though the coronavirus has been held in check during the NBA restart, the social justice issue rose to new heights following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., last weekend.
The Bucks refused to take the court versus the Magic for a 4 p.m. tipoff, willing to forfeit the contest.
Within an hour, the NBA released a statement that all three Game 5s scheduled in Orlando on Wednesday had been postponed — including the Rockets-Thunder and Lakers-Trail Blazers — thus nullifying any potential Bucks forfeit.
The NBA said the games will be rescheduled but didn’t release a new plan, and it’s expected that Thursday’s games will also be postponed.
The players held a passionate meeting Wednesday night to discuss their next steps, and that’s when James’ Lakers and Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers indicated that they would be in favor of boycotting the rest of the season, according to ESPN. Though The Athletic also reported every other team voted to continue.
James eventually walked out of the meeting, and the rest of Lakers and Clippers exited behind him, according to the Athletic.
It was unclear how the other nine remaining playoff teams felt.
There was no formal vote, however, and discussions are expected to continue Thursday. The players reportedly are calling on team owners to help them in their fight to combat the social injustices enveloping the country.
Commissioner Adam Silver has yet to comment on the stunning turn of events that took NBA officials and team executives by surprise.
TNT’s Kenny Smith walked off the set to support the players Wednesday night when the “Inside The NBA” show — that no longer had any games to report on — went on the air.
Along with the postponement of the three NBA games, three WNBA games, three MLB games and five MLS games, tennis player Naomi Osaka said on Instagram she will forfeit her semifinal match at the Western & Southern Open at Flushing Meadows.
“As a black woman, I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need attention rather than watching me play tennis,’’ said Osaka, who withdrew from the tournament and now will have four days to rest up for Monday’s start of the U.S. Open.
Later Wednesday, the USTA, ATP Tour and WTA announced that the Southern & Western would “pause tournament play” Thursday and return to action Friday.
League officials reportedly stood outside the Milwaukee locker room as Orlando players prepared for the game. The Magic players ultimately returned to their locker room as the arena clock ticked down, and it was later reported that they would not accept a forfeit.
“It’s a shame [if the season is over],’’ the NBA source said. ‘So much hard work by the NBA and players association to put this together.’’
Bucks players issued a joint statement, read by George Hill and Sterling Brown outside the locker room hours after the game was scheduled to be played:
“The past four months have shed a light on the ongoing racial injustices facing our African-American communities . ... Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin, we’ve seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, and the additional shooting of protestors.
“When we take the court and represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin, we are expected to play at a high level, give maximum effort and hold each other accountable. We hold ourselves to that standard, and in this moment, we are demanding the same from our lawmakers and law enforcement.
“We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable. For this to occur, it is imperative for the Wisconsin State Legislature to reconvene after months of inaction and take up meaningful measures to address issues of police accountability, brutality and criminal justice reform.”
The Knicks issued a statement that read: “We support the league’s decision to postpones the games and strongly reiterate our condemnation of racism and violence.”