By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Players from the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics met Tuesday (25/6) at their hotel regarding a possible boycott of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, in the aftermath of the shooting of Jacob Blake, according to The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears.
The Raptors had already been reported to be discussing potentially boycotting the match to protest for Blake’s shooting. Blake, a black man, was shot by policemen seven times from close range at his back, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, while he was trying to get to the driver’s seat on his vehicle and walking away from the officers after breaking a fight. The latest reports say that he’s been paralyzed as a result.
NBA players and coaches have voiced their anger and frustration over the incident. Lebron James said that, “I know people get tired of hearing me say it, but we are scared as Black people in America. Black men, Black women, Black kids, we are terrified.” while Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill mentioned that, “We can’t do anything. First all, we shouldn’t have come to this damn place, to be honest. Coming here just took all the focal points off what the issues are.
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown commented that “The question I would like to ask is: Does America think that Black people are uncivilized, savages, and naturally unjust? Or are we products of the environments we participate in? That’s the question I would like to ask America, and America has proven its answer over and over and over again. Are we not human beings? Is Jacob Blake not a human being?”
Raptors and Celtics player will have another meeting on the matter tonight, Spears also reports.