BLACK LIVES MATTER TO BE PAINTED ON NBA COURTS

July 19, 2022

The National Basketball Players Association and the NBA agree to paint the following words “Black Lives Matter” on the sidelines of the courts that will be used at the resumption of the season in July. The three courts that will be used during the restart are housed by the Walt Disney World Resort, situated in Orlando Florida. It was confirmed by ESPN that the league adopted this move to lend a voice to the campaign against racial discrimination and to help push social justice forward.

According to several other reports, the NBA is also putting finishing touches to the plan of changing the last name printed at the back of player’s jerseys to a resounding statement on social justice. The NBA players have in the last few weeks, raised their voices, and stated their opinions about these racial issues. Many of the players have in fact joined the Black Lives Matter movement to participate actively in the issues, due to the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in the custody of the Minneapolis police in May.

“We are trying in our own little way to shed more light on the various social justice issues that are making the rounds among players in the league. These are issues that the players continuously talk about every day.

The President of the NBPA, Chris Paul stated in an interview that, “So many people are of the opinion that social justice will be forgotten by everyone in Orlando within a short period of time if nothing is done to engrave it in the minds of the populace, but, with the jerseys, it won’t go away.”

The NBA is originally set to restart play on the 30th of July after close to four months of shutdown due to the coronavirus crisis. The restart is set to begin in courts at Disney World, close to Orlando Florida. Many of the players, including Kyrie Irving, have led the campaign that players should not participate in the NBA restart. This is due to their involvement in the Black Live Matter movement which they don’t want to be distracted from. Some other players, reported to include LeBron James, are of the opinion that playing will go a long way in making a statement. They are also of the opinion that playing will have a huge impact during this period.

The sideline paintings and the jersey statements might be seen as minor changes, but they are significant ways by which the league supports social justice and it clearly proves that the league is firmly behind players that speak out on racial issues.

The WNBA is also considering the same moves

The WNBA is also set to kick-start the season roughly 80 miles away from the venue of the NBA in Florida. It is also considering taking similar decisions as its male counterpart.

According to reports, the WNBA is having discussions on painting the words “Black Lives Matter” on the sidelines of its courts too. Many players have also put in the request to wear a shirt with the phrase “Say Her Name” printed boldly on the shirts. This is to serve as a reference to the death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville. While other WNBA players have stated that they won’t be participating in the season for several reasons.