The start of the NBA season comes closer and closer and with it, the potential of players protesting the national anthem has become a much more vivid reality.

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti has shown the team's views on the matter.

“Our viewpoint on it is obviously we’ve had players and staff stand for the national anthem over the past eight years,” Presti told ESPN's Royce Young. “We’d love to see that continue. At the same time, our players have the opportunity and ability to express themselves as people, and we respect that above all.”

The Thunder, and every other NBA team, faces a potential nightmare as there isn't a rule forcing players to stand for the anthem. Ay sanctions handed by the league or a franchise would be unprecedented.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Iman Shumpert has recently changed his stance after recent events and will likely choose not to kneel for the anthem this season, but instead choose more proactive ways to voice his concerns.

As the season nears and preseason games get underway, we'll slowly get to see how each team reacts to it, which will likely say a lot about each individual owner's take on the issue.