Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck holds players to a high standard. Aside from the storied franchise’s NBA-high 17 championships, the Celtics also were the first team to draft a black player, hire a black head coach and roll out the league’s first-ever all-black starting rotation. “Being part of the Celtics means something, and it means…
Celtics Owner Wyc Grousbeck Calls Jaylen Brown ‘Special Person’ — NESN.com
Even though the NBA reportedly will return four-plus months after it was put on hold due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it will won’t be enough time for Kevin Durant to make his Brooklyn Nets debut. Durant ruptured his Achilles last year and was expected to miss the 2019-20 season. But with the hiatus, many thought…
Kevin Durant Confirms He Won’t Make 2019-20 Nets Debut, ‘My Season Is Over’ — NESN.com
Bill Russell has spoken. The Boston Celtics legend took to Twitter on Thursday and offered some candid thoughts on the protests that have been ongoing throughout the United States in the wake of the senseless death of George Floyd. Russell revealed he and his wife went to some protests that both were “impactful” and “powerful.”…
Bill Russell Offers Candid Comments On Protests Following Death Of George Floyd — NESN.com
Bill Russell has spoken.
The Boston Celtics legend took to Twitter on Thursday and offered some candid thoughts on the protests that have been ongoing throughout the United States in the wake of the senseless death of George Floyd.
Russell revealed he and his wife went to some protests that both were “impactful” and “powerful.” But for the 86-year-old, he doesn’t think this will cause “enough change.”
“My wife took me to see some of the protests,” Russell tweeted. “She said it was emotional & impactful & asked ‘Can U believe U would live through this again in your lifetime?’ I said ‘Yes, nothing had changed & we will see some change but most likely not enough.’”
He then shared a quote he shared with a newspaper back in the 1960s when he traveled to Mississippi after civil rights activist Medgar Evers was murdered by a white supremacist. Russell, fresh off third consecutive MVP and the C’s fifth straight championship, was asked if his image potentially could be damaged because he was taking a stand against racism.
Here’s what he said:
“I’m a man. If I have to be a boy to be popular, then I don’t want it. If my popularity depends on a thing like this, I don’t give a damn.”
My wife took me to see some of the #protests she said it was emotional & impactful & asked Can U believe U would live through this again in your lifetime? I said Yes, nothing had changed & we will see some change but most likely not enough #GeorgeFloyd @MSNBC @nba @BostonGlobe pic.twitter.com/ophnSYNfgc
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) June 4, 2020
Powerful then and now.
German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) is set to return to action Saturday for the first time since March 8, something the NBA will be keeping a close eye on. Commissioner Stefan Holz told ESPN the players in the BBL will wear chips that monitor their movement over the course of their 36-game tournament that features 10…
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Lakers guard Danny Green joined a growing number of NBA players who’ve taken to the streets to protest in the aftermath of George Floyd was killed in police custody on May 25. With thousands of others making their way through Downtown L.A., from City Hall to the Hall of Justice, Green marched Wednesday evening with…
Lakers’ Danny Green joins Black Lives Matter march through Downtown L.A. — Daily News
Dressed head-to-toe in black, his right fist thrust firmly in the air, Steph Curry took a knee alongside several hundred protesters Wednesday in Oakland. Along with four other Warriors, Curry joined a 3.4 mile march around Oakland’s Lake Merritt to protest the death of George Floyd last week at the hands of Minneapolis police. The…
Steph Curry and Warriors join in Oakland protest — Times-Standard
Dressed head-to-toe in black, his right fist thrust firmly in the air, Steph Curry took a knee alongside several hundred protesters Wednesday in Oakland.
Along with four other Warriors, Curry joined a 3.4 mile march around Oakland’s Lake Merritt to protest the death of George Floyd last week at the hands of Minneapolis police. The march was organized by Curry’s teammate Juan Toscano-Anderson, a Castro Valley native of African American and Mexican descent.
“My name is Juan Toscano-Anderson, and I play for the Warriors,” Curry’s teammate said through a megaphone as the two-time NBA MVP looked on. “But, before the Warriors, I’m a black man. Half black. Half Mexican.”
In addition to Curry and Toscano-Anderson, Klay Thompson, Damian Lee and Kevon Looney marched alongside protesters wearing black, carrying signs and chanting “NO RACIST POLICE. NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE.”
After four days of protests in Oakland, some violent, Toscano-Anderson made an announcement via Twitter late Tuesday night. “JOIN US TOMORROW. PEACEFULLY!” he wrote above a flyer that provided details of the event.
JOIN US TOMORROW. PEACEFULLY! pic.twitter.com/Z9Ji3QtqBl
— Juan Toscano Anderson (@juanonjuan10) June 3, 2020
The march began with eight minutes of silence — protesters laying chest-down on the lawn at the Lake Merritt Amphitheater — representing the amount of time Floyd lay on the street while police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck, killing him.
The silence was interrupted by Floyd’s last words. Cries of “I CAN’T BREATHE,” “MAMA” and “MY NECK” echoed across the lake.
Curry, Lee and Toscano-Anderson then began marching with protesters, first in front of the Alameda County courthouse and onto Lake Merritt Blvd. Midway through the march, Thompson and Looney joined Curry and Lee as Toscano-Anderson led.
Eventually, the march rounded onto Lakeside Drive. In happier times, this is where the Warriors’ championship parades have ended.
“I’ve got people in the locker room who are not only going to stand up for what I stand up for, but who are actually going to stand up with me,” Toscano-Anderson said. “It’s a different feeling. I’d run through a wall for those guys now.”
As protests unfolded across the country in the days since Floyd’s death, Toscano-Anderson and a group of childhood friends felt they needed to do something for their community. After exchanging texts and phone calls, the group made the decision to arrange the peaceful protest around 8:30 pm Tuesday night. By 10:15, they posted their plans to social media. They had no idea how many people would turn out on such short notice.
As protesters filed into the amphitheater, Curry and his wife Ayesha quietly made an entrance and took a seat. They were not approached for autographs or selfies. This wasn’t a day for anything like that.
“People know what they mean to the Warriors community,” Toscano-Anderson said of the Currys. “But, unless you’re from Oakland, you don’t really understand what Steph means to the Oakland community.”
Steph Curry and Ayesha Curry marching around Lake Merritt. pic.twitter.com/g56rHydnD5
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) June 3, 2020
While helping organize the protest, Toscano-Anderson was nervous about the blowback he might receive. After all, he only made his NBA debut this past season after toiling in Mexico’s professional league and the G League, and figures to be deep on Golden State’s bench next season, if he makes the roster at all.
But he received the support of the Warriors organization, which was only buoyed by Curry’s appearance. “If I got Steph Curry out here with me, nobody trippin,” Toscano-Anderson said.
Confidently, Toscano-Anderson helped lead the march, breaking at intersections to talk to the group of protesters with his megaphone. At one corner, Curry, wearing a black face mask and dark sunglasses under a black bucket hat, chanted “DON’T SHOOT” and put both hands in the air before kneeling for another moment of silence.
As the country deals with the fallout of Floyd’s death, the sports world has grappled with how to make a statement while preserving its own business interests, and the NBA is finalizing plans to resume its season.
Last week, the Warriors issued a statement saying “We condemn, in no uncertain terms, racism and violence perpetrated against members of the Black community, and we call on all people to channel their justifiable anger into creating a more just and equitable society.”
Prepared statements can only do so much. The NBA’s players, a majority of whom are black, are in a unique position to help bring awareness to these issues.
“It’s not a million people, it’s not 100,000 people, it’s not 10,000 people, but it’s a crowd,” Toscano-Anderson said. “It’s just a step in the right direction.”
There won’t be any fans in the stands, but NBA teams still might have something of a home-court advantage at Walt Disney World. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Yahoo! Sports’ Keith Smith on Wednesday both revealed details of the NBA’s plan to resume its season in Orlando, Fla. Teams reportedly will play a Summer League-like format…
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The late Kobe Bryant was sympathetic to the cause being protested for around the nation in the aftermath of the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. And as darkness falls over those protests and demonstrations, some have become unruly, resulting in looting and vandalism as a result of…
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The video was sent to me without explanation. Watching it, I was confused: What is this? At first, I thought it was from years ago and someone was sharing it to make a point. After all, there have been a lot of conversations recently focusing on interactions that ended with the violent deaths of black men. […]
Opinion : To Overcome Racism, We Must Raise Our Voices – Masai Ujiri —
Just four seasons into his NBA career, Jaylen Brown has taken on a leadership role with the Celtics. But far more importantly, the 23-year-old takes great pride in being a leader off the hardwood. This was on display over the weekend when Brown drove 15 hours from Boston to lead a peaceful protest in Atlanta…
NBPA Salutes Celtics’ Jaylen Brown For Leading Peaceful Protest — NESN.com
Just four seasons into his NBA career, Jaylen Brown has taken on a leadership role with the Celtics. But far more importantly, the 23-year-old takes great pride in being a leader off the hardwood. This was on display over the weekend when Brown drove 15 hours from Boston to lead a peaceful protest in Atlanta on Saturday. The Celtics guard on Monday shared an Instagram photo from the protest, which garnered a comment from the National Basketball Players Association. “Keep leading and keep using your voice,” the NBPA wrote from its official Instagram account. “We are behind you 100%!” Brown wasn’t the only Celtics player who had his voice heard over the weekend. Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter both took part in the protest held in Boston on Sunday night.
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/06/nbpa-salutes-celtics-jaylen-brown-for-leading-peaceful-protest/
NBA legend Michael Jordan provided a statement regarding the ongoing protests following George Floyd’s death. “I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country,” he wrote… from Bleacher Report – NBA https://ift.tt/2yTaahu via IFTTT
Michael Jordan ‘Angry’ over George Floyd’s Death: ‘We Have Had Enough’ — Darnell’s Notebook
Statement From Michael Jordan https://t.co/lnXYMhtvo3
“I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country,” he wrote. “We have had enough.”
There has been unrest across the United States after a Minneapolis police officer killed Floyd, an unarmed African American man, last week. At least 30 cities have held protests calling for changes.
Jordan is encouraging the “peaceful expressions against injustice” from those marching in the streets.
The Basketball Hall of Famer and current owner of the Charlotte Hornets has defended the right to protest in the past, a topic that became divisive several years ago when it came to athletes.
“One of the fundamental rights this country is founded on was freedom of speech, and we have a long tradition of nonviolent, peaceful protest,” Jordan said in 2017, per Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. “Those who exercise the right to peacefully express themselves should not be demonized or ostracized.
“At a time of increasing divisiveness and hate in this country, we should be looking for ways to work together and support each other and not create more division.”
Jordan is the latest prominent member of the NBA community to speak on the protests. LeBron James has used social media to spread his message, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar created an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times.
NBA players are doing more than just taking to social media.
LeBron James, Doc Rivers, others around NBA react to, participate in protests — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
The view from left field 