The National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association will paint “Black Lives Matter” on the courts it will use in Orlando, Florida, once the 2019-2020 season resumes next month, ESPN reports.
Sources told ESPN that the NBA and the players’ union plan on painting the phrase inside both sidelines on the courts in the three arenas the teams will play in at the Walt Disney World Resort. The Women’s National Basketball Association is also considering painting the words "Black Lives Matter" on the court that it will use at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, once its season resumes. Some players have pushed for players to wear shirts with the phrase “Say Her Name,” for Breonna Taylor and other women who were killed by police officers.
ESPN notes that players in both the NBA and the WNBA have pushed for the leagues to show more support for combatting racial inequality and injustice. Leaders in the NBA and the NBPA told reporters last Friday that they are considering several ways to bring attention to these issues when the leagues resume. Players’ union president Chris Paul told ESPN that the NBA and the NBPA will work together to allow players to wear personalized messages about social justice on their jerseys instead of their names.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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