The Washington Wizards made their preseason debut on Tuesday night against the Miami Heat, and when it was time to sing the national anthem, all eyes were on both teams to see if they'll stage an act of protest against racially-charged violence the country is facing these days.

Players from the D.C. team decided to link their arms and show unity while the Star Spangled Banner was being sung. The image of the squad's stand was captured by Kyle Weidie of ESPN TrueHoop Network.

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Other teams who kicked off their preseason campaigns have also demonstrated such acts and also caused quite a stir. The Milwaukee Bucks‘ players had their left arms around the person next to them before their match-up against the Bulls on Monday, but head coach Jason Kidd clarified that it was not a protest. The Toronto Raptors, Portland Trailblazers, and Boston Celtics also followed suit.

It is expected that in the next few days, more teams and players will show such demonstrations as these athletes want to make sure they get their message across in the hopes of ending these social issues.