Miami Heat guard Jimmy Butler had pondered wearing a blank nameplate during the NBA restart in Orlando. However, the NBA is unlikely to grant his request.
According to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, “wearing a name is part of the uniform player agreement.”
Per sources, it appears as of now that Heat All-Star Jimmy Butler's request to wear no name on the back of his jersey at the NBA restart will not be honored.
The NBA and NBPA struck deals on the messaging, but wearing of a name is part of the uniform player agreement.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) July 19, 2020
To recall, Jimmy Butler had hoped the blank jersey would serve as a statement of solidarity (via Nick Friedell of ESPN):
“I have decided not to,” the Heat star said during a Tuesday video call with reporters. “With that being said, I hope that my last name doesn't go on there as well. Just because I love and respect all the messages that the league did choose, but for me, I felt like with no message, with no name, it's going back to, like, who I was. And if I wasn't who I was today, I'm no different than anybody else of color and want that to be my message in the sense that just because I'm an NBA player, everybody has the same right, no matter what, and that's how I feel about my people of color.”
A number of players have also voiced their displeasure with the social justice messages selected by the NBA, suggesting they are less personal.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said Sunday he was also considering wearing a blank nameplate, pointing to the Heat swingman as inspiration for the notion. Obviously, that is no longer a possibility.
The NBA might not be budging on messaging, but the NBPA reached a deal with Russell Westbrook's “Honor The Gift” clothing line to provide custom shirts for the players.
Whether Butler opts to keep his own name on his Heat jersey or pivots to one of the social justice messages remains to be seen, but he will not be allowed a blank nameplate.
**UPDATE: For clarity, Jimmy Butler's request is still under review and has not been denied, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. According to reports, he will use his name “Butler” on his jersey for now.
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