Detroit Pistons center and former Milwaukee Bucks draft pick John Henson spoke about player protests in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin this past weekend.
Henson was racially profiled trying to buy a watch after signing an extension with the Bucks in 2015, and said he felt fortunate to be a person of note (via Scott Cacciola of the New York Times):
“It gives me chills,” Henson, 29, said in a telephone interview Wednesday night from his home in Tampa, Fla., “because I know I was fortunate enough to have a voice where I could say something and hold those people accountable. But had it been another African-American individual or another person of color, they’re just going be sent on their way — feeling some type of way.”
John Henson also praised the Bucks for leading the way by taking action after Milwaukee's decision to boycott Wednesday's playoff game led to a slew of postponements and discussions about what kind of message the players wanted to send.
The 29-year-old said the actions of the players speaks to the character of the guys in the Bucks locker room (via Cacciola):
“It’s really indicative of those guys in that locker room,” Henson said. “Just making this type of noise is something that can bring awareness. At some point, it needs to be a loud enough message so that everyone says, ‘Hey, this is not OK.’ And I think this is a start.”
The players have decided to resume play, likely by the start of the weekend.
But Henson feels the Bucks' actions are a “start.” Indeed, postponements have already occurred in both the MLB and NHL, bringing issues of racial injustice to the forefront.
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