LeBron's Clippers and Lakers propose to cancel season in protest of racism

The NBA is at a crossroads like never before in the history of world sport. The players took a quantum leap in their protests against racism. From symbolism to action, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. The fuse opened. The NBA suspended all three games of the day and the protest quickly spread to other sports such as the WNBA (the Women's Basketball League), the MLB (the Baseball League) and the MLS (the United States Soccer League).

The NBA players held a meeting in which, according to various sources, LeBron James' Lakers and Kawhi Leonard's Clippers advocated for the cancellation of the season. The majority of players from the rest of the teams, however, preferred to tackle other types of measures before opting for the more drastic decision. The players will meet again this Thursday, hours before a day in which three games are scheduled: Denver-Utah, Toronto-Milwaukee and Dallas-Clippers. The NBA franchise owners' board will also meet. Before the boycott of the Bucks, Raptors and Celtics players, who must play the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals, they had met and had considered not to appear at the meeting to protest the inaction in the face of police abuse, the latest episode of which occurred Sunday with the incident in which officers shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

LeBron James, after the shooting, reacted strongly. “And you wonder why we say what we say about the police. Someone please tell me what the hell is going on here! Exactly another black man they're targeting. This shit is so bad and it's so sad! I feel so sorry for him, his family and our people! We want justice ”, sentenced the leader of the Lakers. This Wednesday he tweeted: “Fuck this man !!! We ask for changes. Tired of this ”.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers expressed his dismay at the recurrence of police abuse. “It is amazing to see that we continue to love this country but he does not love us. It really is very sad. I often remember my skin color. It's sad to have to. We must be better and for that we must demand more from the authorities, "he said Tuesday after the game in which his team overwhelmed the Dallas Mavericks. “It's funny because we protest, they send the riot police, they go to Michigan with guns and then they spit on them. But nothing happens. The unit must destroy the police force. My father was a policeman and I believe in good policemen. We are not trying to take wages and funds from anyone. It is about them protecting us, just as they protect other citizens ”, he concluded.

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

World sport mobilizes

Protests in other sports follow one another. Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka announced on Wednesday that she would not play the semifinal of the Cincinnati tournament against Belgian Elise Mertens. Tournament organizers postponed competition at the Masters 1000 and Premier 5 in Cincinnati for one day. “Before an athlete I am a black woman. And, as a black woman, I feel like there are much more important issues that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis, ”Osaka wrote on Twitter. "As a sport, tennis is collectively taking a stance against racial inequality and social injustice that has once again come to the fore in the United States," said a statement signed by the USTA (United States Tennis Association). ), the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and the WTA (Women's Tennis Association).

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The WNBA suspended the three games that were to be played on Wednesday and the same happened in three games of the American baseball leagues and five of the soccer one. “It's not just about basketball. We are not just basketball players, "said Washington Mystics guard Ariel Atkins. "Let's say what we have to say." “We stand in solidarity with our brothers in the NBA. We will continue this discussion with our teammates in all leagues and try to agree to class action, ”said Atlanta Dream power forward Elizabeth Williams. The players' union issued a statement: “What we have seen in recent months, and most recently with the brutal police shooting of Jacob Blake, is overwhelming. We have the opportunity to focus on the problem and fight for our demands ”.

The WNBA has made social justice the main platform for its 2020 season - many players wear the Breonna Taylor name on the back of their jerseys. Taylor is a Louisville woman killed by police after a raid on her home in March, like others after women who have been killed or injured in police shootings. The WNBA's Say Her Name campaign seeks to raise public awareness of the problem of police abuse.

The PGA Tour aligned itself on the common front of anti-racism protests and issued a statement in which it stated: “In the past, efforts have been made to send a message that the current climate is unacceptable, and these teams, leagues and players who now take this step will help draw attention to what really matters. " The professional golf collective underscores its specific commitments to racial equality and inclusion and its support for organizations within that movement. "We understand that now is not the appropriate time to highlight our programs and policies, but rather to express our outrage at the injustice that continues to prevail in our country."