This week was a historical one for not only the NBA, but all professional sports. On Wednesday, news broke that the Milwaukee Bucks would not be playing Game 5 as scheduled against the Orlando Magic as a protest in response to the horrific shooting of Jacob Blake at the hands of a police officer in Kenosha Wisconsin. This sparked movement across the league, and soon, across all major professional sports as athletes came together to not only demand justice for Blake, but demand more action from the league and team owners in social justice issues. They did so by refusing to play their games as scheduled.
For all those that might be wondering what canceling games actually does for the Black Lives Matter movement, check out the statement that the NBA and NBA Players Association put out outlining the action that the league and team owners agreed to take that led the players to agree to resume the playoffs.
It has been truly incredible to watch the impact that athletes can have on these issues. Sure, they play a game for a living. But their platforms give them an ability to reach millions of people with their messages and, as we saw this week, they have been using this platform to enact real change.
Players all throughout the league have been taking to social media to speak on the Black Lives Matter movement and issues of police brutality, and the Denver Nuggets are no exception. Below, you can see what P.J. Dozier, Jamal Murray, and Troy Daniels had to say on the subject.
It’s truly inspiring to see a group of players come together to accomplish one goal, and to know that they were ready and willing to sacrifice the entire season if that’s what it took to be heard. I’m sure many of us are relieved that the season will continue, but more than that, are relieved to know that the action that the players took this week was not fruitless. I, for one, have never been more proud to be an NBA fan.
