Barack Obama is supporting NBA and WNBA players for boycotting games due to the Jacob Blake shooting. The former President of the United States went to Twitter to send a message to both leagues for taking a stand against racism. Obama said more things like these have to happen in order to move forward.
“I commend the players on the Bucks for standing up for what they believe in, coaches like Doc Rivers, and the NBA and WNBA for setting an example,” Obama wrote. It’s going to take all our institutions to stand up for our values.” The NBA and WNBA called off games on Wednesday to show support for Blake, a Black man from Wisconsin who was shot by police while attempting to enter the driver’s side of his vehicle. Blake’s family said that three of his children were in the car during the shooting. Blake was rushed to the hospital, and the family’s attorney said the 29-year old man is paralyzed from the waist down.
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“It’s amazing why we keep loving this country, and this country does not love us back,” Rivers said when talking about the Blake shooting. “It’s really so sad. Like, I should just be a coach. I’m so often reminded of my color. It’s just really sad. We got to do better. But we got to demand better.” On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks made the decision to boycott their playoff game against the Orlando Magic. It then led to the NBA calling off the three postseason games that were scheduled. As for the WNBA, the games between the Washington Mystics and the Atlanta Dream, the Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx, and Connecticut Sun against Phoenix Mercury were also postponed.
“The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association today announced that in light of the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to not take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, today’s three games – Bucks vs. Magic, Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers – have been postponed. Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled,” the league said in a statement.” There were talks of the NBA calling off the rest of the season to focus on the racial and social issues going on in the country. However, the season will move forward and playoff games will likely resume this weekend.
