NBA commissioner Adam Silver has quickly responded to reports of league employees going on strike today as their way of showing their support for the players that continue to fight for social injustice inside the bubble. The commissioner has written a lengthy response letter addressing the strike.
The Athletic's Shams Charania shared a screenshot of Silver's letter addressed to the NBA's employees:
NBA commissioner Adam Silver pens letter to league employees, obtained by @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium: “I wholeheartedly support NBA and WNBA players and their commitment to shining a light on important issues of social justice.” pic.twitter.com/2SPEunp64I
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 28, 2020
ESPN's Malika Andrews earlier provided details of the strike:
Sources: Roughly 100 NBA employees — based in New York — are on strike today, in solidarity with the NBA and WNBA players pushing for social justice. They will be spending the day calling elected officials.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) August 28, 2020
Employees sent a letter to Adam Silver and Mark Tatum saying, in part: “We believe the NBA, its leadership, and the Board of Governors unequivocally have the leverage to do more to directly address and combat police brutality and systemic racism in this country.” https://t.co/dgFLiuqdZY
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) August 28, 2020
As expressed in their statement above, the employees are calling on their leadership, as well as the NBA owners to do more in the fight against racial injustice. Silver acknowledged this in his letter and provided some insight on the concrete steps they are currently taking to address these issues.
As made clear by their protest, however, it seems that the majority of NBA employees believe that the league is not doing enough. They have expressed their belief in the power and the position the league is in, and that it has to be more proactive in the fight against police brutality and systemic racism.
It is unclear if this will be a one-day strike, or if the employees intend to hold out longer. What cannot be denied is that they are currently at an impasse, which needs to be resolved at the soonest. Failing to do so might result in catastrophic results, and ultimately might lead to operational issues inside the bubble.
The teams and the players have already expressed their commitment to carry on with the remainder of the NBA season, but if the employees continue to go on strike, then this might have severe ramifications on the current campaign.
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