Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has been the most outspoken player in opposing the NBA's return this July. Uncle Drew firmly believes the 2019-20 NBA season shouldn't resume because it could take away the attention from the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement in the United States.
Retired NBA players Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes recently spoke together on IG Live and touched upon Irving's strong stance on the issue. Captain Jack revealed that the 28-year-old has been reaching out to him daily and even crying because of the current social issues:
“He's been calling me damn near every day on FaceTime. He’s passionate about this and by the conversation he had, I just think he understands this moment. And he's just like me. I don’t have all the answers, you know what I’m saying? And he’s speaking off heart, he’s speaking off passion. I ain’t said this on no interviews bro. He's been calling me crying, bro, because he literally knows that I’m putting everything on the line.”
https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1272721835826860035
Barnes also nodded in agreement with his podcast co-host. Like Irving, Jackson shares the same sentiments regarding the NBA season's continuation and believes this isn't the right time to play basketball.
Moreover, the former NBA player has been one of the more outspoken individuals regarding the Black Lives Matter movement. Peaceful protests continue to happen around the country in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder at the hands of police in Minneapolis. The 46-year-old African American also happened to be one of Jackson's close friends.
Irving, along with Los Angeles Lakers guard Avery Bradley, recently led a coalition of players who laid out their concerns about the NBA's return-to-play plan at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Irving has been at the forefront of discussions and also apparently has the backing of a number of players around the league.
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