The NBA has reportedly told all its teams to prepare for the potential impact of a verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The league has raised the possibility of game postponements in the aftermath of a verdict on the case, with the prospect of the postponement of a night or two of games on the league’s schedule being mentioned.
Chauvin’s trial will have its final arguments on Monday as he faces charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death, which happened in May last year. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In a video that made the rounds on social media, Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes after responding to a call about the use of a counterfeit bill.
Floyd’s death sparked protests all across the US, while the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin caused the postponement of playoff games of both the NBA and WNBA back in August. The Milwaukee Bucks chose to boycott a first-round playoff game against the Orlando Magic, which caused a postponement of league games for three days.
Just last week, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets postponed a game after the shooting of another unarmed Black man, Daunte Wright, during a traffic stop that also happened in Minneapolis. That game and the Timberwolves’ next game against the Bucks were eventually played in the afternoon as a precaution for protests.
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