The players’ action followed talk by both the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers of refusing to play their respective games in protest of the shooting of Blake, a Black man.
Professional basketball players have become increasingly political, attending news conferences wearing clothing with social justice messaging, including Black Lives Matter, Say Their Names and Vote, to name a few. The NBA unveiled a court emblazoned with the Black Lives Matter logo to support the movement against racial injustices in the United States and Canada.
Players also used media appearances to talk about fighting for change and demanding justice for Breonna Taylor and other victims of police violence. The Toronto Raptors, in particular, arrived for the season at Disney World in two large black buses with the Black Lives Matter logo.
Compared to other professional sports leagues, the NBA has been at the vanguard of promoting social justice, and not because of one particular executive or person who has risen to the occasion, but because collectively, the organization understands that sport has the power to bring about change.
At the 1968 Olympics, American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in a Black power salute.
It is difficult to measure whether these past boycotts have been successful in terms of radically bringing about desired outcomes, but perhaps that’s not the purpose of boycotts.
As long as there are people and organizations carrying out acts of resistance, there’s hope for political mobilization that could spark significant social and political change.
And that’s what the NBA can do at this juncture: continue resisting the social conditions that allow Black men and women to die at the hands of police.
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