Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler attempted to wear a jersey with no name on the back, but the officials made him change before allowing the game to start against the Denver Nuggets.
Statement made. #BlackLivesMatter@JimmyButler pic.twitter.com/HKT63unwoz
— x – Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 1, 2020
As part of its restart plan, the NBA is allowing its players allowing players to wear jerseys with personalized social justice, social cause or charity messages on the backs instead of their last names to bring awareness to the issues of police brutality and systemic racial injustice that goes on around the world. However, the players must choose one of the 29 messages the league approved.
Before the game on Saturday, Butler made it clear that he didn't want to use a league-approved message and he didn't want to use his name either; therefore, he just wanted to leave his jersey blank.
“I love and respect all of the messages the league did choose, but for me, I felt like with no message, with no name, it's going back to who I was,” Butler said. “And if I wasn't who I was today, I'm no different than anybody else of color. And I want that to be by message…everybody has the same rights no matter what.”
However, despite not getting the league's approval to wear a jersey with no name on the back, Jimmy Butler still tried it on Saturday before the Heat's game against the Nuggets.
As seen in the video, the officials refused to start the game until he put on a jersey with his name on the back.
Nevertheless, at least Butler kept his word and did what he believes in, despite breaking the rules.
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