The Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets, led by Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic, locked arms and collectively knelt at midcourt during the singing of the National Anthem before the start of the Mavs – Nuggets game Thursday night. A show of solidarity against the violence that took place at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Wednesday, as well as the significant disparities in the use of force by police forces when dealing with largely minority crowds versus white ones, the gesture was one of many that took place throughout the league.

With the arena largely empty due to COVID-19 restrictions and the anthem reaching a crescendo, the Mavs PR team recorded a short, stirring video of the players gathered and posted it to the team's Twitter account.

In addition to the Mavs and Nuggets' actions, the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs similarly gathered at center court in locked arms during the pre-game ceremony. While players and organizations have responded in a multitude of ways over the past 24 hours to the events in Washington that rocked the country, the NBA continues to be vocal in its support of causes related to social justice and political unrest.

Following the riot's immediate aftermath, the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics briefly discussed boycotting their game during a joint conference in the Celtics' locker room. While the two teams would eventually proceed with the game, their consideration towards canceling the game was an early indicator of how serious the players viewed the issue. In that vein, it has not been surprising to see teams across the country such as the Mavs and Nuggets continue to speak out and show solidarity with one another.

With events continuing to unfold across the nation, the NBA and its players don't plan on staying quiet, and no one should expect otherwise.