A bevy of NBA players have reacted to the aftermath of George Floyd's murder and the consequent Twitter comments from President Donald Trump, which have drawn plenty of ire.
Ayesha Curry, wife of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, took major issue with Trump referring to the Minneapolis protesters as “THUGS,” and Isaiah Thomas didn't hide his feelings (NSFW warning):
Y’alls president!!!!
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) May 29, 2020
He shoulda just said these niggas
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) May 29, 2020
Twitter decided to censor Trump's tweet due to violating the terms of use and “glorifying violence.”
Boston Celtics youngster Jaylen Brown, one of the more outspoken NBA players on social issues, chimed in as well when Trump tweeted about calling in the National Guard:
The punishment for looting is not getting shot down in the street https://t.co/28ifPh9Yaj
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) May 29, 2020
Police brutality is an act of terrorism
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) May 29, 2020
Adding fuel to all this fire was CNN reporter Omar Jimenez getting arrested in plain sight while reporting the news of the Minneapolis riots on Friday morning. The CNN crew captured every bit of the interaction, but Celtics big man Enes Kanter was livid to see it:
Are you freaking kidding me?
State police in Minnesota arresting @CNN reporter @OmarJimenez while he’s on air
Meanwhile, the cop who murdered #GeorgeFloyd continues to walk free.
They arrested a @CNN reporter before the killers of #GeorgeFloyd
🤦🏻♂️ 🤦🏻♂️
— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) May 29, 2020
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal shared the same indignance:
We arresting reporters and not the cop? Okay https://t.co/2duHOR1WBZ
— Bradley Beal (@RealDealBeal23) May 29, 2020
Jimenez was released after a few hours, but the clear abuse of power was already evident after the cameras filmed every bit of the action. As Kanter and Beal noted, it was especially egregious that Jimenez was arrested before Derek Chauvin, the police officer seen on video killing Floyd by kneeling on his neck. Chauvin was finally arrested Friday afternoon and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
A few other NBA stars have chimed in on this whole situation, with Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo lamenting that a lot of people's unfortunate true colors are coming out:
Seeing a lot of people’s true colors…. 🤦🏾♂️
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) May 29, 2020
People Show Their True Colors, Unintentionally. Pay Attention.
— 13am Adebayo💥 (@Bam1of1) May 29, 2020
Superstars LeBron James and Stephen Curry previously expressed their outrage over Floyd's killing as well, and there will surely be more reactions coming in as this story develops. NBA players and other athletes will continue to use their platforms to promote social justice.