The Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their NBA playoff game yesterday to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake, ESPN reports, a decision that has since led the league to postpone all of today's games.
The team was scheduled to take on the Orlando Magic in game five of the first round series, but the players and staff did not take the court leading up to the 4 p.m. tipoff. The absence led NBA officials to visit the Bucks' locker room prior to the news of the boycott being made known. The Magic were on their end warming up before they ultimately decided to leave the court with just under four minutes left until tipoff.
"We're tired of the killings and the injustice," Bucks guard George Hill told The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears.
Prior to the game's scheduled start, the Bucks' official Instagram account shared a post with the caption: "Change The Narrative," in which numerous members of the team are pictured wearing socially-charged T-shirts.
Other NBA teams were expected to boycott playoff games today as well — prior to the league's decision to postpone — following the unlawful shooting of 29-year-old Black man Jacob Blake, who was shot from behind seven times by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 23.
The NBA said it will reschedule the three games: Bucks vs. Magic, Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, and Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers.
Basketball is just a game. What these teams are protesting is a matter of life and death.
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Here’s how you can support protestors
10 anti-racism accounts to help you stay informed
A simple guide to protesting safely
