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NBA season in doubt as players mull boycotting playoffs

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27th August, 2020
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NBA players are meeting to discuss whether to leave their Orlando bubble as protests escalate against the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin.

The position of NBA players is rapidly evolving and could lead to some or all teams leaving the campus environment.

Players from all teams in the bubble have been invited to a meeting set for Wednesday night to discuss their next steps.

Leaving the bubble will seriously compromise the playoffs due to strict COVID-19 protocols enforced by the NBA and would gain more traction and leverage than the boycott of Wednesday’s games. 
Earlier, the NBA postponed all three of its playoff games after the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their match against Orlando Magic because of racial injustice. 

The Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder were also planning to boycott their game which was scheduled to be played later in the day.

“The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association today announced that in light of the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to not take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, today’s three games – Bucks vs Magic, Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers – have been postponed.

“Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled,” the NBA announced late Wednesday afternoon.

The Bucks’ boycott amid the NBA playoffs – one of the largest US sporting events of the year – is a major escalation in the NBA player’s protests against police brutality and systematic racism.

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“Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action,” the Bucks players said in a statement. “So our focus today cannot be on basketball.”

Alex Lasry, the Bucks’ senior vice-president, said in a tweet. “Some things are bigger than basketball. The stand taken today by the players and org shows that we’re fed up.” 

“Enough is enough. Change needs to happen. I’m incredibly proud of our guys and we stand 100 per cent behind our players ready to assist and bring about real change,” Lasry added.

The Orlando Magic issued a statement indicating the organisation’s support for Milwaukee’s decision.

“Today we stand united with the NBA Office, the National Basketball Players Association, the Milwaukee Bucks and the rest of the league condemning bigotry, racial injustice and the unwarranted use of violence by police against people of colour,” the statement read.

Milwaukee’s action comes on the heels of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday.

Three WNBA games set for Wednesday night were also postponed.

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