“It is not crazy. It’s the norm, ”said Oklahoma City guard George Hill. “What did you expect? Did you expect anything different? I’m not surprised at all of this. I knew this was going to happen.”
When Hill was asked if he was referring to protesters loyal to President Donald Trump who forced him into the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday or Tuesday’s announcement that prosecutors in Kenosha, Wisconsin, would not open criminal charges against police in the August shooting against an African American Jacob Blake, he explained to The Undefeated: “I’m referring to all of this.”
On August 26, the then Milwaukee Bucks guard became a prominent figure in the NBA social justice movement when he told coach Mike Budenholzer and three black assistant coaches over lunch that he was not playing a playoff game against the Orlando Magic in protest of the Blake shooting. The Bucks ended up making history by collectively deciding not to play. Hill and then Bucks teammate Sterling Brown, who endured police brutality in Milwaukee, spoke on behalf of the team after the protest was announced.
The NBA ended up postponing the three games that day and no playoff dispute took place during a three-day protest period. WNBA, MLB, NHL and tennis star Naomi Osaka also protested in the following days.
“I’m definitely proud of what I did,” said Hill. “I really wasn’t trying to light anything. I was just doing what I found genuinely right. I did not know what others can do or what others can think or the consequences that may arise or the positive aspects that may arise from this. I didn’t think about that. I just thought about what I thought was right. What I believe in is what humanity should be and I went after it. “
Hill, who is now with Thunder after being traded by Bucks in the off-season, faced The Undefeated before playing against host New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday for the next questions and answers.
The NBA’s three-day protest ended up prompting players to focus on voting. You also returned to Milwaukee in October to join around 50 volunteers from the Common Ground organization, based in Milwaukee, to encourage people to vote in advance. How do you reflect on that?
I advocated this change. For people to feel comfortable with the skin. To feel comfortable speaking the truth and defending something. Getting into those neighborhoods and going door to door fighting with the people of Wisconsin who really cared meant a lot. I talked to young men and women who never voted in their lives about the importance of this. The importance of them using their voice and going out and voting was the reason Wisconsin was overthrown this year.
I was very excited not only with myself, but with the state of Wisconsin and the city of Milwaukee and all the other neighboring cities. They saw things like that and went out and voted. It meant something to them. It just wasn’t an election anymore.
How did you interpret the decision in Kenosha on Tuesday that criminal charges would not be made against the police officer who shot Jacob Blake and paralyzed him?
I found it difficult at first. But I’ve already prepared myself for that. I prayed about it and prepared [mentally] so because I knew it would happen where none of those policemen would be held responsible for anything. We’ve seen it many times. It is like that old record player that is continuous that plays the same song over and over.
I knew it. I felt bad for Mr. and Mrs. Blake. I felt bad for Jacob himself. I felt bad that your kids saw this. You have to continue to live. When things happen, you continue to discover other things. I will continue to pray for the family, his children and himself. But I knew that justice would not be done.
When you were in the bubble and provoked the Bucks protest, did you get any reaction from the opposing players for what you and the team did without talking to the other teams?
Everyone had mixed emotions. I would never throw anyone there. I just know that not everyone agrees on certain things and that is normal. But, I am not going to say that this person did this or did not agree with it. All I can say is that not everyone felt the same way.
How did you react being traded from Bucks to Thunder on November 23 after everything you did on and off the court?
When you do things that irritate the feathers and are out of the ordinary, you should know that there will be some adverse reaction. I got ready that summer so I probably wouldn’t be there. People thought I was probably crazy to think so. But I am human. It is what it is. We have seen this many times.
We saw Colin Kaepernick [kneel] for what he believed and they tried to destroy his life. I would accept that with open arms if I couldn’t play for Milwaukee again. Without disrespect to them. They did what they thought was right for the organization.
Do you think the money exchange with you was simply a basketball game or more?
We’ll never know, right? I’m not the one to talk about it, if that’s more. If it’s more than basketball, they’ll live with it. If it wasn’t … we’ll never know. I’m sure they won’t come and say so. So, it doesn’t really matter.
How has it been for you so far in Oklahoma City? Would you like to make an impact outside the court there?
No matter how long I am in a city, I want to do something to impact that city. The first thing we must work on is this case of Julius Jones and try to get him out of death row. I think this is huge. Part of my job is to be myself and continue to follow my own pace.
[Thunder general manager] Sam Presti and owner Clay Bennett have been phenomenal since I got here. They welcomed, supported, took and embraced me with open arms. I have nothing bad to say about this organization. They have been first class and it is so much fun to be here.
How are you involved in the Julius Jones situation?
I’ve been talking to people who have taught me more about the situation before I jump into something and don’t know. We’ve been talking. I know that our owner, Clay Bennett, is very important in police reform. I look forward to meeting with him and learning more about the things he is involved in and talking about things that are meaningful to me.
The 100th anniversary of the racial riot in Tulsa is coming. Do you expect to be part of the celebration event?
Definitely yes. I talked to our young people about it here in Oklahoma when I got here. Many of them didn’t even know what happened. I would love to get involved. I would love to drive and visit [the memorial] and the city on one of my days off, and where it happened. This is a great educational thing for me … I definitely want to visit the city, take a walk, shake hands and be part of it.
Do you still enjoy the game of basketball, despite what is happening in the world and being negotiated?
I still like the game. I’m not a basketball fan in terms of watching and playing video games, being stuck with all the games that are on TV. But I’m in love with the competitive side. I love to compete. I love to go out and play with my teammates.
With that said, I still love the game. Is it a little different now from team to team? You try to give everything you have to an organization to be loyal and things like that. Sometimes, it does not seem corresponded. But as they say, ‘It’s a business’, right?
The Black Lives Matter plaques in the courtroom, social justice messages on the backs of shirts and other messages have disappeared this season. Do you agree that the enthusiasm to speak out against social justice on the part of the NBA and the players does not seem to be the same now as it was in the bubble?
[The NBA] had to do that. This is the only way to get players to come back and play. They had to give them something. They got what we wanted. They played.
From the players’ point of view, it’s just quiet. The guys are really starting to see that it doesn’t matter what you do, what you say, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter. America will live the way America felt it should be lived. How can we see what is happening today, if the situation were reversed and 100 black men were stealing from the Capitol building, vandalizing things, blood would be spilled? Would faces be beaten? I think so.
Blood was spilled and people were beaten just for protesting and looting different companies. We are talking about the state capital here. We are not talking about Target or Walmart. We are talking about the state capital. If America is allowing this, but we are not allowing people to be upset with a guy [white cop] kneeling on someone’s neck [George Floyd], just shows what America really is.
Where should NBA players go from here with the social justice movement this season?
I can’t speak for everyone. I can only speak for myself. I just think that the way the world is going, I think we all need to be together. We’re 450 [players] and when 450 are strong, we are more powerful than everyone thinks. …
We are much more powerful than they think we are. I learned a lot from LeBron [James] and how it migrated and moved in and out of the ground. He’s a great inspiration for how he uses his influence to open doors and how powerful he is. This is just a guy. Four hundred and fifty can be very strong if we just come together.
We just have to keep fighting the good fight. Today it shows us where we really are in this country. I think the last few days show us what we can do if we are together. I take my hat off to everyone who went out to vote. I take my hat off to all the people who are still walking on the street fighting in this fight. And this is for everyone.