After the demonstration made by Colin Kaepernick last year to show his protest against different social issues during the singing of the national anthem, many teams and players from the NFL, and even from other professional sports leagues followed suit.
They made varying gestures like holding each others' hands, kneeling down, and also having their arms on their teammates' shoulders, to show their unity as a team.
It has continued to be a controversial topic in the sports world, but so far, league offices have not given pressure on teams to sanction their players for such acts. The NBA has also seen its fair share of demonstrations last season, and even if it did not cause any furor, the league apparently has a rule on how coaching staff and players should conduct themselves while the Star Spangled Banner is being sung.
It can be found under the “Player/Team Conduct and Dress” section of the NBA's official rulebook, where the dress code for players during games is also included.
2) Players, coaches, and trainers are to stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or on the foul line during the playing of the National Anthem.
The demonstrations have stemmed from racially charged violence, to other issues concerning the lives of many. Just recently, President Donald Trump fired some shots directed to the NFL, and with the unity athletes have shown in the past, it won't be surprising if there will be more demonstrations in the NBA this coming season.
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