Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum remains adamant that the season must carry on despite the tense socio-political climate. The 28-year-old recently opened up about his stance, and why he believes it is tantamount for the players to continue playing from this point forward.
According to McCollum, the players have a duty to live up to:
“I wasn’t because I feel like we have a responsibility and obligation to use our platform to take advantage of our situation as NBA players,” he said, via Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. “And to continue to try to push this game forward for the next generation while inspiring kids that come from our neighborhoods.”
The three games scheduled on Wednesday were abruptly postponed following the decision of the Milwaukee Bucks to boycott their contest against the Orlando Magic. The rest of the other teams followed suit, and talks progressed to the players potentially boycotting the remainder of the playoffs.
A second meeting was held on Thursday, and during which, a consensus was reached that the season would not be canceled. Much like CJ McCollum, there were more than a few individuals — reports state that majority of the players in the meeting — were inclined to carry on with the campaign. They may have their own personal reasons for the same, but for McCollum, it's all about the message their actions send out, especially to the younger generations.
The Blazers have now been rescheduled to face off against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of their first-round matchup on Saturday. Portland is currently down 3-1 in the series and is one loss away from elimination. They will also be without their superstar point guard Damian Lillard, who left the bubble on Thursday to tend to his knee injury, so to say that the Blazers have an uphill battle ahead is an understatement.
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