Boston Celtics legend and Hall of Famer Bill Russell fully supports NBA players for boycotting games in the wake of the tragic Jacob Blake shooting in Wisconsin.
Blake, an unarmed Black man, was shot seven times by the police in the back in front of his children. He is now paralyzed from the waist down and will likely never walk again.
The Milwaukee Bucks boycotted Game 5 of their first-round series against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. The Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers followed suit, and Russell is very “proud” of the players for taking a stand. The Celtics legend knows a thing or two about taking a stand for what's right:
In 61 I walked out if an exhibition game much like the @nba players did yesterday. I am one of the few people that knows what it felt like to make such an important decision. I am so proud of these young guys. It reminded me of this Pls RT @MSNBC @CNN pic.twitter.com/70VAIFxhtf
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) August 27, 2020
It's pretty devastating to think that racism was prevalent when Bill Russell was playing in the NBA and is still so ubiquitous in America today.
With that said, NBA players should be commended for using their platform to instill change in America. The Bucks players spoke with the Wisconsin Attorney General on Wednesday. One can assume the players were trying to get the Attorney General to press charges and arrest the cop who shot Blake seven times.
It's unknown when the 2020 playoffs will resume. Thursday's games were postponed, and there might not be any games on Friday either. However, basketball games are expected to be played again at some point this weekend after there was an initial talk about the postseason getting canceled altogether. The players voted to resume the playoffs on Thursday.
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