By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
After boycotting Game 5 of the playoffs against Orlando and “three hours of brainstorming” as George Hill said to the reporters present at the NBA bubble at Orlando, the Milwaukee Bucks made a bold statement about the shooting of Jacob Blake by police officers and the general state of racial injustice, especially in Wisconsin.
Sterling Brown, a victim of police brutality himself two years ago, and Hill read the statement of the Bucks which was the following: “The past four months have shed a light on the ongoing racial injustices facing our African-American communities. Citizens around the country have used their voices and their platforms to speak out against these wrongdoings. Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin, we have seen a horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha and the additional shooting of protestors. Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball.”
“When we take the court and represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin, we are expected to play at a high level, give maximum effort, and hold each other accountable. We hold ourselves to that standard and at this moment we are demanding the same from our lawmakers and law enforcement. We are calling for justice for Jakob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable. For this to occur, it is imperative for the Wisconsin State Legislature to reconvene after months of inaction and take up meaningful measures to address issues of police accountability, brutality, and criminal justice reform. We encourage all citizens to educate themselves, take peaceful and responsible action and remember to vote on Nov. 3”.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski inside the locker room, the Milwaukee Bucks were on a conference call with Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Paul and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes.
The three owners of the Bucks, Marc Lasry, Wes Edens, and Jamie Dinan, issued the following statement: “We fully support our players and the decision they made. Although we did not know beforehand, we would have wholeheartedly agreed with them. The only way to bring about change is to shine a light on the racial injustices that are happening in front of us. Our players have done that and we will continue to stand alongside them and demand accountability and change”.
The decision of the Bucks started a snowball effect and games were not played also in the WNBA and Major League Baseball between Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds.
Photo credit: Twitter/Ben Goliver