In a multi-part series, the Bay Area News Group will be discussing racial justice in America with former Warriors players from the last six decades. Jamaal Wilkes supports the police, up to a point. The former Golden State Warriors forward said he’s proud to be an American and wants law and order while at the…
Former Warriors talk social justice: Jamaal Wilkes reacts to George Floyd murder, his own experience with police and the importance of resuming NBA season — Times-Standard
‘It seems like a culture where they just cultivate bad apples,’ Houston Rockets’ Thabo Sefolosha says the police killing of George Floyd brought back painful memories. The 36-year-old NBA veteran was a victim of police brutality in 2015, resulting in a broken leg and torn ligaments
George Floyd’s death brings back painful memories for NBA’s Thabo Sefolosha — Aadel Haleem
Protests continue throughout the country in the wake of George Floyd being publicly murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, sparking sorrow and profound frustration across the nation. And on Saturday, a handful of Milwaukee Bucks players participated in marches, leading demonstrators down 27th Street with local activist Franky Nitty. That includes the NBA’s reigning Most…
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks Join Milwaukee Marches: ‘This Is Our City’ — NESN.com
We’ve often seen that it unfortunately takes tragedy to effect change. And that’s the analogy San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich used to compared race relations in our country, as protests against police brutality and racism continue across the United States. The 71-year-old coaching legend, regarded highly for his wisdom as his basketball IQ, called…
Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich Says ‘Country Is In Trouble’ In Emotional Video — NESN.com
It was pretty easy to spot Boston Bruins defensemen Zdeno Chara in a crowd of the thousands of people who joined demonstrations popping up in communities across the state of Massachusetts on Friday. The Boston Bruins shared a photo of their 6-foot-9 captain joining protests against racism in Brookline, towering over those around him. Check…
Bruins’ Captain Zdeno Chara Spotted Marching To Protest Against Racism — NESN.com
It was pretty easy to spot Boston Bruins defensemen Zdeno Chara in a crowd of the thousands of people who joined demonstrations popping up in communities across the state of Massachusetts on Friday. The Boston Bruins shared a photo of their 6-foot-9 captain joining protests against racism in Brookline, towering over those around him. Check it out: The Captain. pic.twitter.com/tRsy2eE3V4 — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 5, 2020 Chara last week posted a public statement in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic murder by a Minneapolis police officer, sharing a petition calling for justice for Floyd and other victims of police brutality. “No one should live with the fear and perpetual injustice faced daily by communities of color across the United States and around the world,” it read. Chara commendably took his message to the streets.
Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/06/bruins-captain-zdeno-chara-spotted-marching-to-protest-against-racism/
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.
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.”
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
Brown has been one of the most active and outspoken NBA players in the wake of Floyds death.
Jaylen Brown drove 15 hours from Boston to Atlanta to lead peaceful protest — ProBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
SANTA CLARA — The last organization to employ Colin Kaepernick stepped up Saturday night in the wake of national unrest following the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd. 49ers owner Jed York issued the following statement on Twitter: “People throughout our country are hurting. Emotions are raw and rightfully so. Heinous acts have been committed…
49ers to donate $1 million for oppressed minorities in wake of Floyd death — Times-Standard
The view from left field 