Boston Celtics and Miami Heat players left the American Airlines Arena court in the minutes leading up to Wednesday’s ESPN game.
They came back to participate in the warm-ups, but held a players meeting only between members of both teams in the Heat locker room, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The meeting came hours after a crowd of mostly white supporters of President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s election and a day after prosecutors refused to press charges against him. the policeman who shot Jacob Blake several times in the back in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The players returned to the court in time to warm up. They knelt down during the national anthem and released a joint statement protesting the systemic treatment of black Americans compared to the police’s contained response to the crowd in Washington DC
Members of the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons also kneeled during Wednesday’s game in Milwaukee. The Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors players crossed their arms on the central court during the anthem.
‘Some things haven’t changed’
“2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed,” says the statement. “We played tonight’s game with a heavy heart after yesterday’s decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our country’s capital are treated differently by political leaders, depending on which side of certain issues they are on.
“The drastic difference between the way the demonstrators last spring and summer were treated and the incentive given to today’s demonstrators who acted illegally only shows how much work we still have to do.
“We decided to play tonight’s game to bring joy to people’s lives. But we must not forget the injustices in our society and we will continue to use our voices and our platform to highlight these issues and do everything we can to work for a more equal and just America.
“#BLACKLIVESSTILLMATTER”
Capitol scenes provoke outrage
Where protests of systemic violence against black Americans this summer have been repeatedly met with more violence, scenes of police taking selfies with protesters and helping them down the Capitol stairs on Wednesday have contrasted sharply.
The police appeared to use tear gas to disperse protesters on the Capitol balcony long after they had invaded.
Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers addressed the discrepancy in police action on Wednesday alongside other NBA coaches.
“When you saw the protests in the summer, you saw the disturbances or more the police and the national guard and the army,” said Rivers. “And then you see that and you see nothing. Basically, this proves the point about privileged living in several ways.
“I’m going to say this because I think a lot of people don’t want to, can you imagine today if they were all blacks invading the Capitol and what would have happened?”
NBC News reports that 15 arrests were made in Washington on Wednesday night.
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