'Black people can't jog without being killed - but they can do this?' NBA players and coaches take knee during national anthem in reaction to 'terrorists' storming Capitol and Trump's 'win-at-all-costs attitude'
Several NBA teams showed their continued dismay at the state of racial inequality in the United States on Wednesday after a Wisconsin prosecutor decided against charging police in the Jacob Blake shooting, and a mob loyal to President Donald Trump was somehow able to storm the US Capitol.
The Boston Celtics mulled skipping Wednesday's game in Miami, players on several NBA teams knelt during the national anthem, and both coaches and players bemoaned a legal system that they said punishes black citizens while protecting whites.
'It's an embarrassing and shameful day in our country,' New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy said.
'Black people get pulled over and don't make it out alive,' tweeted retired Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade. 'We can't sleep in our own beds without being killed. We can't jog without being killed. We can't walk down the street with our hoodies up without being killed but they can do this???'
Members of the Boston Celtics nearly refused to take the floor in Miami on Wednesday night
In Phoenix, the Suns and Toronto Raptors players stood in a circle and linked arms
Retired Heat star Dwyane Wade was furious that the 'Stop the Steal' mob stormed the Capitol
Giannis Antetokounmpo and other Bucks and Pistons players kneel before Wednesday's game
Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers, the black son of an Illinois cop, spoke of the stark difference between rallies across America last summer that often included violent skirmishes between protesters and police and what he watched at the Capitol on Wednesday. 'The symbolism of storming the Capitol without force done to them, if you're a Black American, it definitely touches you in a different way,' Rivers said. 'This is not a Black thing. This is an American thing'
The largely white 'Stop the Steal' mob not only gained access to the Senate chamber, but momentarily delayed Congress from certifying the results of Joe Biden's November election victory.
Despite the forceful tactics, many categorized the throngs of Trump supporters as 'protesters,' which bothered Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.
'They're not f***ing protesters,' Green said of the 'Stop the Steal' mob that stormed the Capitol on Wednesday. 'They're f***ing terrorists.'
'All I can say is that I'm grateful knowing that hopefully nobody who looks like me is going to Capitol Hill to respond to this, because if they do, you'll see a different response by law enforcement,' National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts told ESPN on Wednesday. 'You know it -- and I know it.'
In Miami, the Heat and Boston Celtics released a joint statement saying they were playing 'with a heavy heart' in a game where most players and coaches knelt for the national anthem.
NO CHARGES AGAINST COP WHO SHOT JACOB BLAKE
Jacob Blake pictured in 2019
A Wisconsin prosecutor declined Tuesday to file charges against a white police officer who shot a Black man in the back in Kenosha, concluding he couldn't disprove the officer's contention that he acted in self-defense because he feared the man would stab him.
The decision, met with swift criticism from civil rights advocates and some public officials, threatened to reignite protests that rocked the city after the August 23 shooting that left Jacob Blake paralyzed.
Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley said investigators concluded Blake was carrying a knife when police responded to a report he was trying to steal a car. Officer Rusten Sheskey said he 'feared Jacob Blake was going to stab him with the knife' as he tried to stop Blake from fleeing the scene.
The shooting of Blake, captured on bystander video, turned the nation's spotlight on Wisconsin during a summer marked by protests over police brutality and racism. More than 250 people were arrested during protests in the days that followed, including then-17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, a self-styled medic with an assault rifle who is charged in the fatal shootings of two men and the wounding of a third.
- AP
In Milwaukee, the Bucks and Detroit Pistons both took turnovers on their first possessions - intentionally, with all 10 players on the court kneeling. In Phoenix, the Suns and Toronto Raptors stood in a circle and linked arms for the American and Canadian anthems. Many other tributes took place around the NBA.
Wednesday's events came one day after the decision to not to bring charges against the officer who shot African-American man Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year was announced. Blake's shooting was one of the many issues players focused on last season in the NBA restart bubble, where the issues of racial injustice and police brutality were a constant focus.
'Today started yesterday, when the Jacob Blake shooting was being justified, although I'm not sure there was a single human surprised at that finding,' Roberts told ESPN. 'Every single player that contacted me -- or that I contacted -- saw the same connection to the Blake shooting being justified. We were watching these people essentially committing treason at the Capitol and I have yet to hear about a single shot being fired.
The joint Heat-Celtics statement said, in part: '2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed. We play tonight's game with a heavy heart after yesterday's decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation's capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on what side of certain issues they are on.'
The Celtics discussed the Blake decision earlier in the day, before the events from the Capitol unfolded. The Celtics then met again as a team after arriving at the arena in Miami, discussed options, and coach Brad Stevens even called his wife to say that he didn't think his team would take the floor.
Boston ultimately chose to play, beating Miami 107-105.
'They've operated in a win-at-all-costs attitude,' Stevens said of Trump's administration. 'I don't know, our sports world is a lot less important, obviously. But I've always thought if you operated with a win-at-all-costs attitude, it's going to be a pretty unfulfilling ending. And in this situation, a disgraceful ending. So, I'm looking forward to two weeks from now, as I know a lot of other people are, too.'
Biden will be inaugurated two weeks from Wednesday, on January 20.
It was unclear if any of the teams who knelt would be subject to penalties. The NBA had a rule for decades that players and coaches must stand for the national anthem. That rule was relaxed last year when the season resumed at the bubble inside Walt Disney World.
The Bucks won the opening tap of their game, and instead of running a play, two-time reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo simply held the ball as all players knelt. That resulted in a turnover, as did the ensuing Detroit possession when Blake Griffin held the ball and players took a knee again. The Bucks said after the game they held the ball for 7 seconds to reflect the seven times Blake was shot.
'We want to do things to help make change, be on the right side of the fight, continue to fight, not be in any way, shape or form distracted or slowed or moved in the wrong direction,' Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. 'We need to keep moving forward in all ways, shapes and forms.'
CELTICS-HEAT JOINT STATEMENT
'2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed. The drastic difference between the way protesters this past spring and summer were treated and the encouragement given to today's protestors who acted illegally just shows how much more work we have to do.
'We have decided to play tonight's game to try to bring joy into people's lives. But we must not forget the injustices in our society, and we will continue to use our voices and our platform to highlight these issues and do everything we can to work for a more equal and just America. #BLACKLIVESSTILLMATTER'
Meyers Leonard stands while his Miami Heat teammates kneel during the national anthem
New Orleans coach Stan Van Gundy called Wednesday a 'shameful' day for the United States
National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Michele Roberts said things would have turned out differently on Wednesday on the Capitol of the mob had 'looked like' her. Warriors star Draymond Green called the 'Stop the Steal' mob 'terrorists'
Meanwhile, a men's college basketball game scheduled to be played in Washington on Wednesday night was postponed after a city curfew was imposed in response to the mob's actions at the Capitol. The Atlantic 10 Conference game between George Washington and UMass will be rescheduled by the league. Another Washington-based team, Georgetown , took a knee for the anthem before facing Butler in Indianapolis. 'I'm saddened,' Hoyas coach Patrick Ewing said in response to the day's events
Meanwhile, a men's college basketball game scheduled to be played in Washington on Wednesday night was postponed after a city curfew was imposed in response to the mob's actions at the Capitol.
Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens knocked President Donald Trump's 'win-at-all-costs attitude,' adding that he is 'looking forward to' Joe Biden's inauguration
The Atlantic 10 Conference game between George Washington and UMass will be rescheduled by the league.
Another Washington-based team, Georgetown, took a knee for the anthem before facing Butler in Indianapolis. 'I'm saddened,' Hoyas coach Patrick Ewing said in response to the day's events.
There were 11 games on Wednesday's NBA schedule. All were played.
'It feels a little odd to play a game tonight, to be honest,' Charlotte coach James Borrego said before his club played in Atlanta.
Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers, the black son of an Illinois cop, spoke of the stark difference between rallies across America last summer that often included violent skirmishes between protesters and police and what he watched at the Capitol on Wednesday.
'The symbolism of storming the Capitol without force done to them, if you're a Black American, it definitely touches you in a different way,' Rivers said. 'This is not a Black thing. This is an American thing.'
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters Wednesday: 'We want to do things to help make change, be on the right side of the fight, continue to fight, not be in any way, shape or form distracted or slowed or moved in the wrong direction'