With the NBA typically at the forefront when it comes to social justice and the fight against racial injustice, such a notion quickly went into full effect on Tuesday as the verdict in the trial of George Floyd was finally announced. With former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin being found guilty on all three counts, Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash, New Orleans Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy and Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego wasted absolutely no time in speaking up and voicing their respective opinions about the verdict.
Nash is currently in the midst of his first go-round as an NBA head coach, though the former point guard has remained in tune with the league for quite some time now. Due to his lengthy NBA playing career and brief head coaching tenure, Nash is probably a pretty solid representation of others throughout the professional basketball landscape.
Steve Nash describes the Chauvin verdict as "bittersweet."
"It's a small gesture of justice and possibly hope for the future." Says it could be a sign social justice movements across the nation and NBA could be making an impact.
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) April 20, 2021
It hardly comes as a surprise that Borrego was one of the first NBA figures to speak up as he comes from the coaching tree of legendary San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who is notorious for immediately standing up for his players and always making a point to be as fair as humanly possible.
“It was an appropriate verdict,” Borrego told reporters on Tuesday afternoon, via Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. “But we’ve got a lot of work to do. Our league has done a great job helping to bring change and continuing to seek change. Today was hopefully a day of healing, but also to push us to want more, be more.”
Stan Van Gundy on his outlook on if Derek Chauvin ruling for George Floyd's killing will be a tipping point for more change in addressing racial inequities and police reform https://t.co/LrrYfprz7B pic.twitter.com/Hb4ZslRXu8
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) April 20, 2021
Van Gundy has never been one to shy away from tough issues and taking a stand when it is the correct thing to do. Van Gundy often used Twitter during his hiatus from coaching in the NBA to express his opinions while he now has a much bigger platform, which he appears to continue to use to his advantage.
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