Two Los Angeles NBA teams, the Lakers and the Clippers, reportedly support not playing the rest of the season in an effort to call attention to the recent police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin.
Most other teams are in favor of continuing to play, The Athletic reported. It’s unclear if the outnumbered Lakers and Clippers will agree to participate in games or continue to boycott the season, which is in the playoffs.
Discussions are expected to continue Thursday, with scheduled games likely be canceled again. “Everyone is still too emotional,” a high-ranking source told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “There needs to be more time to come together on this.”
The L.A. teams have some of the NBA’s biggest stars, including Laker LeBron James and Clipper Kawhi Leonard. Both teams are serious contenders for the championships.
The heated discussion over whether to continue playing happened at an NBA-wide meeting held after several teams announced they were walking off Wednesday’s games to call attention to Sunday’s police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which has left the 29-year-old father paralyzed from the waist down.
“The past four months have shed a light on the ongoing racial injustices facing our African American community,” Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown, himself a victim of police brutality, read from a statement after the team walked off ahead of its game against the Orlando Magic.
“Despite the overwhelming plea for change,” Brown said, “there have been no actions, so our focus cannot be on basketball.”
The NBA responded by postponing all of Wednesday’s playoff games, and the WNBA followed suit, along with several baseball teams.
James tweeted amid the walkout, “WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT.” He reportedly led the Lakers and Clippers out of the meeting on Wednesday.
