Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Avery Bradley is voicing the concerns of a select group of NBA players seeking definitive change in the so-called progressive league.
Bradley, who represents a cohort of players alongside Brooklyn Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving, wants to see a clear-cut plan from the NBA about ways they can make a societal impact more than just “raising awareness” about social injustices.
“Regardless of how much media coverage will be received, talking and raising awareness about social injustice isn't enough,” the NBA veteran told Malika Andres and Adrian Wojnarowski in ESPN. “Are we that self-centered to believe no one in the world is aware of racism right now? That as athletes, we solve the real issues by using our platforms to speak?
“We don't need to say more. We need to find a way to achieve more. Protesting during an anthem, wearing T-shirts is great, but we need to see real actions being put in to the works.”
Avery Bradley, a first-time Laker in 2019-20 after spending the past two seasons bouncing around three franchises, is imploring the financial means to demand actionable change like, for example, more people of color in management positions at both the coaching and front office levels.
The 29-year-old Bradley also spearheaded a recent Lakers' social-media initiative with a powerful message: “If you ain't wit us, we ain't wit you,” per Wojnarowski.
Irving, a polarizing player as he is, received backlash over the past weekend for speaking out against the potential restart of the 2019-20 campaign that is slowly picking up momentum. The injured Nets floor general, as well as a slew of NBA players, do not want the season to resume as it may take away the attention from the ongoing protests against systemic racism and social injustice in the United States.
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