Kneeling wasn't enough. So NBA players walked off the court.
The sex videos sensualMilwaukee Bucks refused to play their game with the Orlando Magic on Wednesday to protest police violence after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which is near their hometown arena.
The teams were set to play Game 5 of the first round of the NBA playoffs. Soon after the Magic players left the court, the NBA announced the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trailblazers, and Los Angeles Lakers would not play their Wednesday games as well. The Magic later released a statement in support of the walkout.
For Bucks forward Sterling Brown, it's personal. Two years ago, after coming out of a Walgreens, Milwaukee police officers stepped on his ankle and tased him over a bad parking job. One of the officers on the scene later joked about it on Facebook.
After video of the arrest was released, he refused to settle with the city.
"I want more than just money," he wrote last month in The Players' Tribune. "I want cops to show respect and to be held accountable when they step out of line, especially in the neighborhoods they are supposed to serve and protect every day."
Bucks and Magic players did not comment on the protest. Alex Lasry, SVP of the Bucks, tweeted in support of the team's players.
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Current and former NBA players, including LeBron James, shared their frustration and support on Twitter.
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The walk-off came a day after Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers shared an emotional message about police violence with the press. The NBA said the Wednesday games would be rescheduled.
On Wednesday evening, President Barack Obama shared his support for the NBA players and coaches:
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UPDATE: Aug. 27, 2020, 4:47 p.m. AEST Tennis star Naomi Osaka has now joined the walkout, the world no. 10 refusing to play her Western & Southern Open semi-final match scheduled for Thursday.
"[B]efore I am an athlete, I am a black woman. And as a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis," Osaka wrote in a statement posted to Twitter.
"I don't expect anything drastic to happen with me not playing, but if I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport I consider that a step in the right direction. Watching the continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police is honestly making me sick to my stomach."
Hours after Osaka's announcement, the ATP Tour announced the entire Western & Southern Open will also suspend play on Thursday. "As a sport, tennis is collectively taking a stance against racial inequality and social injustice that once again has been thrust to the forefront in the United States," the association wrote on Twitter. The tournament will resume on Friday.
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UPDATE: Aug. 27, 2020, 9:43 a.m. EDT Athletes from the WNBA, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer have joined the NBA in its protest against police brutality and the shooting of Jacob Blake. On Wednesday, players from the WNBA team the Washington Mystics showed up to a game in t-shirts spelling out Jacob Blake's name in the front, and featuring simulated bullet holes in the back to represent the fact that Blake was shot in the back multiple times by police. Three Wednesday night WNBA games were postponed, including the Mystics game against the Atlanta Dream, the Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx, and the Connecticut Sun and Phoenix Mercury. Three MLB games were also postponed as were five MLS games.
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UPDATE: Aug. 28, 2020, 1:41 p.m. AEST The sports walkout has impacted baseball as well, with the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins refusing to play their scheduled game on Thursday night.
While players initially took up their positions on the field, they didn't warm up, and the game never got underway. Instead, all players from both teams lined up around the field, removing their caps and observing 42 seconds of silence. The length chosen appeared to be a nod to Jackie Robinson, the first Black player in Major League Baseball, whose jersey number was 42.
The teams then exited, leaving only a Black Lives Matter t-shirt placed on the home plate by Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson. The game was one of seven Major League Baseball games to be postponedon Thursday, following three on Wednesday.
"We showed our action tonight that we're not just going to shut up and dribble, shut up and play ball," said the Mets' Dominic Smith. "We're going to stand for what we believe in."
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Topics Activism Social Good