“We're sick of killing!” The superstar's NBA team refuses to play - and paralyzes entire US sport

There was a player boycott in the NBA on Wednesday. The Milwaukee Bucks pros did not play their playoff game - for political reasons.

• The NBA was paralyzed by a boycott of players - other leagues are also interrupting the game.
• The Milwaukee Bucks did not start their playoff game against the Orlando Magic .
• The boycott is directed against police violence in the USA .

Orlando - American sport is shaken by a boycott of players. The NBA team Milwaukee Bucks around superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo refused to come out of the locker room in the playoff game against Orlando Magic . The Orlando players waited in vain on the floor for their opponent. This triggered a chain reaction: leagues from various sports temporarily stopped playing.

USA: Milwaukee Bucks do not appear in the game - in protest against police violence

The background to the protest is the renewed police violence against blacks in the USA . On Sunday, the 29-year-old family man Jacob Blake was seriously injured by police gunshots. He is now almost completely paralyzed. The video of the incident went viral. In recent months, people all over the world have been protesting against racism as part of the " Black Lives Matter " movement * after the death of George Floyd *.

USA: NBA and other leagues cancel games - "We're sick of killing"

"We are fed up with killing and injustice," said Bucks player George Hill of the online platform The Undefeated. The NBA responded by canceling the game day - numerous other sports leagues such as MLB (baseball), MLS (soccer) and WNBA (women's basketball) followed suit. Tennis star Naomi Osaka did without her Masters semifinals in New York.

FUCK THIS MAN !!!! WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT

Countless basketball players and sports stars responded to the boycott with approval. “Fuck it, man. We demand change. It makes me sick, ”wrote Lakers superstar LeBron James on Twitter . Former US President Barack Obama also praised the players' protest: “I praise the Bucks players. They set a good example and fight for what is important to them. It will take all institutions to stand up for our values, ”Obama tweeted.

I commend the players on the @Bucks for standing up for what they believe in, coaches like @DocRivers, and the @NBA and @WNBA for setting an example. It's going to take all our institutions to stand up for our values. pic.twitter.com/rUGETgAt7P

USA: Player boycott in the NBA - racism debate reaches the sport

The Milwaukee Bucks weren't the first in the NBA to speak out against police violence in the States. Doc Rivers , coach of the Los Angeles Clippers , had previously spoken out against President Donald Trump *posed. "It is amazing to me why we continue to love this country and why this country does not love us back," said the 58-year-old.

It is still open whether the "Bucks" will be punished for not appearing. Due to the high popularity across America, this is rather unlikely. The racism debate has finally reached sport as well. (epp) * merkur.de is part of the Ippen editorial network.

List of rubric lists: © Mike Ehrmann / AFP