At the TIME 100 summit, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was asked about the possibility of players kneeling during the national anthem, which will be played ahead of games in Orlando, Florida, per Malika Andrews of ESPN.
The NBA currently requires players to stand for the national anthem, but Silver says he'll deal with the situation if/when a player decides to kneel:
The Star Bangled Banner and O Canada (when the Raptors play) will be played ahead of games in Orlando, a source will knowledge confirmed to ESPN. At the Time 100 summit, Adam Silver was asked about kneeling. Here is what he said, in part: pic.twitter.com/DcutTrIwmU
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) June 30, 2020
Some of the biggest stars in the NBA such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry have stood behind Colin Kaepernick, who was the first professional athlete to kneel during the national anthem. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback was protesting police brutality and systemic racism against African Americans.
Kaepernick's protest started back in 2016. Fast-forward to today, and we still have racial injustices in America. The tragic murder of George Floyd in Minnesota at the hands of police has only brought it back to the forefront.
It's going to be very interesting to see if the NBA punishes players for kneeling in Orlando. As of now, no NBA player has stated he is going to kneel, but that could change moving forward.
The “bubble” games are set to start on July 30. All 22 NBA teams will play eight seeding games before the 2020 playoffs start.
The Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards will battle it out for the final two playoff spots in the East, while the Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings will jostle for the eighth seed out West.
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