During the singing of the national anthem in their preseason debut, the Milwaukee Bucks caused quite a stir when they chose to stand with their arms around the player next to them.
Here's a picture of the team when the Star Spangled Banner was sung, via the Bucks' official Twitter account:
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— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) October 4, 2016
A lot of people thought it was their own way of protesting against the violence and brutality that has led to pointless deaths around the country. But the team's head coach, Jason Kidd, was quick to clarify that it wasn't an act of protest but only to show their unity as a squad.
As reported by Nick Friedell of ESPN, the 43-year-old bench tactician explained the gesture his team made:
“It's not a protest. We're not protesting. We're showing unity. There's not a protest.”
“I think they've covered every base, and I think it's just showing awareness. I think it's really nice of them and special that they came together as a unit and be unified. It just shows our growth for a young team.”
Their starting small forward, Jabari Parker, also echoed his coach's statement, expounding more on what unity means for the whole team.
“It shows that through it all, thick and thin, we gotta have each other's back, regardless of your skin color, regardless of your race,”
It is truly interesting to see if others will show similar acts, or not, in the succeeding days as more teams are slated to kickoff their preseason. For now, it is safe to say that the chatter on these stands will not end in the near future.
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