It’s More Than Just Basketball

Basketball is more than just a game, its a fight for racial equality and a support of the BlackLivesMatter movement

Players take a stand on their hometown streets. This took place in Washington DC where the Washington Wizards started a rally.

The spark for change

A moment of injustice began the moment George Floyd was killed. NBA players were in shock and were determined to use their platform to enact change. It began the night the Milwaukee Bucks decided to boycott their playoff game and remain in the locker room. This was the first ever game that had been boycotted and the entire NBA and its fans were in shock. Moving forward, the rest of the season was completed to fight along the BlackLivesMatter movement and to make their voices heard across the country.

Point Guard George Hill led the boycott of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball game

Players take a stand

The BlackLivesMatter was seen as more than just a movement to NBA players but a way to create real change in their communities. Players began their efforts by removing their name on their jersey and replacing it with BlackLivesMatter words that would express their want for equality. Players would use their postgame conferences to speak upon the issues and would use their followers on social media to bring people together. They would also take a kneel during the national anthem to pay their respects and would put the hand up for the emblem that took over the BlackLivesMatter movement.

Putting Meaning on Our Jerseys

What players did on their jerseys was truly special. They wanted its fans and the world to know that they were playing this game for the injustice in their country. They were willing to remove their jerseys and end their season to prioritize the important words that were on their jerseys. They replaced their names with BlackLivesMatter, Equality, Say their Names, Freedom, Justice Now and other words that would speak upon the issues. NBA players were determined to represent the issue on the court and show their support in any way possible.

These pictures represent different NBA players replacing their names on their jersey with BlackLivesMatter words. Jrue Holiday, Jamal Murray, Brook Lopez, Andre Iguadola, Nikola Vucevic, JaMychal Green (players from the top left to the bottom right)

Social Media

NBA players have millions of followers on social media and thought of using this platform to talk more upon the issue. People like Lebron James would post a picture with a comment supporting BlackLivesMatter and were hoping that all their followers would see it. With their efforts, players stories were posted on larger news platforms such as ESPN or SportsCenter. Their power on social media began to spark riots in the team’s hometowns and were led by players. Their efforts were seen as a step forward for justice and with so many followers it made it easier for players to fight for justice.

Lebron James and Chris Paul take on stand on social media

Postgame Interviews

The final buzzer sounded, and it was time for some of the winning players to speak to the media about their performance during the game. Instead of using the time to speak on how great they played, they addressed the BlackLivesMatter issues and wanted for everyone who was watching to spread the word that they are trying to help in the best ways possible. Players were trying to use the NBA platform to project their voices to a larger crowd and enact chance everywhere in the country. Boston Celtics Shooting guard Jaylen Brown told the media

“The struggle is not a struggle of a week a month or year it’s a struggle of a lifetime.”

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo said

“Black Lives Matter isn’t just a movement. It’s a lifestyle. A lot of people know that. A lot of people are scared of that. I embrace it because I’m Black man. My mother is a Black women. I say Black Lives Matter at the end because I feel that people forget.”

These players all want change, justice and a safer future for generations to come.The players words are expressing their fear and worry for future generations and therefore the need for immediate change in racial perspective in this country.

This video shows different NBA players expressing their opinion on the racial injustice in this country (Youtube).

Commercials

The release of commercials such as the ESPN commercial payed its respect to the BlackLivesMatter movement and showed its importance to the game of basketball. The commercial starts off with a message to people that the NBA is more than just basketball. The commercial says “This was never just a game; we were speaking out. For decades and the sad reality is that. People have to change their view of us, and it’s shown us that humanity is greater than anything else that divides us and we are actually living and breathing human beings that have a multitude of intelligence, work ethic, discipline, and talent.” Commercials have added an entire new platform for NBA players to have an influence on the black lives in this country and to dedicate their time in promoting racial justice instead of a new pair of sneakers.

This commercial was made in support of the BlackLivesMatter movement by ESPN. (Youtube)

It’s more than just a game

The game of basketball had no purpose to NBA players if it led to no actual changes in life. The season had meaning because of the BlackLivesMatter movement which allowed players voices to be heard. Players found the need to keep fighting for the people who allowed them to play the game they loved. They want to see people of color have the opportunity to thrive in the world and be successful. Lives are lost every year because of racial injustice and they need to know they can live in a world where they are not harmed because of the color of their skin. Black’s lives matter and NBA players wanted that to be spread across the country.