The NBA and the
National Basketball Players Association reportedly reached an agreement
Friday on a list of approved social justice messages that players can
use on their jerseys when the 2019-20 season resumes July 30 amid the
coronavirus pandemic.
Marc J. Spears
of ESPN's The Undefeated provided the words and phrases that can take
the place of a player's last name during the first four days of the
restart at the Disney World complex in Orlando, Florida:
"Black
Lives Matter; Say Their Names; Vote; I Can't Breathe; Justice; Peace;
Equality; Freedom; Enough; Power to the People; Justice Now; Say Her
Name; Si Se Puede (Yes We Can); Liberation; See Us; Hear Us; Respect Us;
Love Us; Listen; Listen to Us; Stand Up; Ally; Anti-Racist; I Am A Man;
Speak Up; How Many More; Group Economics; Education Reform; and
Mentor."
Players can continue to use their choices after the first
four days, but their names would then be included underneath the social
justice messages and above their numbers, per Spears.
Players previously decided they wouldn't use the names of Black people who've been killed while in police custody or in racist attacks.
"We're
just trying to continue to shed light on the different social justice
issues that guys around our league continue to talk about day in and day
out," Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul told Spears. "People
are saying that social justice will be off of everybody's mind in
Orlando. With these jerseys, it doesn't go away."
Several of the league's current and former stars have taken part in the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the killing of Black man George Floyd while in Minneapolis Police custody in May.
One unnamed NBA player told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski last month he was concerned a return to play would shift the focus away from the movement for racial equality:
"Once
we start playing basketball again, the news will turn from systemic
racism to who did what in the game last night. It's a crucial time for
us to be able to play and blend that and impact what's happening in our
communities. We are asking ourselves, 'Where and how can we make the
biggest impact?' Mental health is part of the discussion too, and how we
handle all of that in a bubble."
Along with the
uniform change, the NBA is expected to paint "Black Lives Matter" on the
courts it will use in Orlando, according to Zach Lowe and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
Games are scheduled to resume July 30 for a shortened eight-game finish
to the regular season followed by a standard 16-team postseason.
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