Black Lives Matter: James Harden, Jrue Holiday, and others speak about the movement from the NBA bubble
One of the key discussions heading into the NBA restart was the fact that it would take the focus away from the Black Lives Matter movement. The league has taken several measures to ensure that the fight against social injustice remains a core agenda inside the NBA bubble. Teams and players alike are coming up with ways to put the spotlight where it matters the most.
Throughout the last couple of days, several players have spoken about Black Lives Matter during media calls from the NBA bubble. Here's a look at a few of them.
We start with James Harden who spoke about the protests in Houston after being asked about George Floyd during his first media session in Orlando.
"The way the city rallied, it was amazing. I think the world saw it. How so many people could come together so close. Obviously it was for a tragic reason but the marching and everything that we’re standing for is very powerful.”
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Jrue Holiday addresses New Orleans Pelicans' practice jerseys in the NBA bubble
Earlier during practice on Thursday, the New Orleans Pelicans wore t-shirts with the names of Tommie Smith and John Carlos. The two former athletes had demonstrated a peaceful protest during a medal ceremony of the 1968 Olympics.
Jrue Holiday addressed the same during his media interaction.
"For (John Carlos and Tommie Smith) to go up there and show black power and protest without saying a word, I feel like that means a lot, especially as a black man in sports. This is what I am here for."
Holiday concluded on the Black Lives Matter statement by saying that being with his teammates in the NBA bubble has made him care about other people more.
Norman Powell slams NBA for limiting choices of Black Lives Matter messages
The NBA has allowed players to wear slogans on the back of their jerseys in support of the Black Lives Matter movement by picking from a list of pre-approved messages. Several players including LeBron James decided to continue wearing their own names because of a lack of a suitable choice.
Toronto Raptors' Norman Powell is the latest player to call out the NBA for limiting the options. Speaking to the media from the NBA bubble on Thursday, Powell mentioned:
"I was really disappointed in the options that were given to us. With a topic just like this – social justice – that we’re fighting for, the fact that we were boxed-in to a list of 28, 29 sayings was really unfortunate."
Powell stated his desire to wear "Am I next?" on the back on his shirt to support the Black Lives Matter movement but instead will be wearing just "Black Lives Matter".
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