Kings, Celtics plan PSA in wake of Clark shooting
SACRAMENTO – One week after Sacramento police officers shot and killed unarmed 22-year-old African-American Stephon Clark after responding to a call about break-ins and three days after hundreds of protesters blocked the entrance to a Hawks-Kings NBA game, the Kings and Boston Celtics wore shirts in warm-ups that read “Accountability. We Are One.” on the front and “#StephonClark” on the back.
And at some point in the first quarter of Sunday’s game, a public service announcement from Kings and Celtics players was to play on the in-house video screen.
It was released on social media about a half-hour after the game began and was to be included on the game broadcast.
USA TODAY was given an early look at the PSA.
“These tragedies have to stop,” Kings rookie De’Aaron Fox says at the start.
“There must be accountability,” Celtics big man Al Horford follows.
In all, 62 words are spoken by 17 player voices — with one shared goal of raising awareness.
The PSA was recorded Saturday, but the production process unofficially began Thursday night.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens was among the many who were moved by Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, who stood at midcourt after Thursday’s game was disrupted by protests. Many fans never made it inside. Ranadive addressed the few thousand fans who made it in before the doors had been closed, expressing sympathy for Clark’s family and emphasizing the importance of a unified community. Stevens, who was with his team in Portland at the time, reached out.
“Brad Stevens was real big,” said Kings guard Garrett Temple, who was integral in the process as well. Temple, in particular, says he believes police need to be held more accountable.
“Right away, right after (Stevens) heard Vivek, he wanted to do whatever he could, and with his organization he wanted to do whatever he could to help and be in support of us. To have seven or eight of those guys come over from the (team) hotel (in Sacramento) and do that PSA with us, that’s powerful. That shows the character of Brad.”
Temple led the way when it came to the shirts, but the original idea came from Kings player development coordinator Akachi Okugo.
“(Okugo) mentioned it … and I was like, ‘That’s great; you’re right,’ ” Temple said. “And then I talked to our people, and it went up the ramp and up to the NBA.”