Los Angeles Clippers veteran guard Lou Williams expressed some hesitation in re-joining his team in the resumption of the 2019-20 NBA season in Orlando, Florida.
Williams made an appearance on CoStar, where he spoke with young fans around the world about basketball, the current social climate, and the NBA's return. That's where he said returning to basketball may hinder the focus on protests addressing police brutality and systemic racism on African American communities.
“I think for us, the only benefit of us not playing is to keep the focus on the [racial injustice] fight. And with that being said, this is in six weeks. We don’t know what it looks like in six weeks. In six weeks the world may need some healing. They may need us to be on the floor. But if more Black kids, more Black adults, or any adults that’s dealing with police brutality are getting killed and we’re still outraged, I don’t know if it’s in our best interests to suit up because it looks like we don’t care. You know what I mean? It’s just a fine balance we’re trying to create.”
The Clippers guard also pointed out that it's difficult for players to make a decision currently, especially since playing basketball is their main livelihood. With that said, he noted that they are still trying to find that balance, which is why he is still torn whether to join the NBA restart or not.
“This is a whirlwind of a time. We don’t know what’s the right decision now. We’re trying to figure that out on the fly like everybody else because we have a job to do, livelihoods, we have families to feed and we’re also a majority of Black men at the same time. And so we’re trying to find that balance where if we do suit up we’re having conversations behind closed doors. If we do suit up, how much of this platform can we really use? Can we get a ‘Black Lives Matter’ patch on our jerseys? Can our jerseys say ‘Black Lives Matter’? Can the court say ‘Black Lives Matter,’ so we can use that platform to the best of our abilities? It’s just hard to call, man. Honestly, it’s hard to call. I’m 50/50 right now, to be honest.”
Williams, a three-time Sixth Man of the Year in his third season with the Clippers, previously referenced why playing basketball in the current social climate could take away the necessary attention from nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement.
“Sports has been a healing factor … In this climate …it's a distraction,” Lou Williams wrote on Instagram last week.
This idea has been spreading across NBA players, with Brooklyn Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving and Los Angeles Lakers veteran guard Avery Bradley speaking to dozens of players about whether to play or not in the past week.
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