Report: Every NBA owner wasn't enthusiastic about having Black Lives Matter on the courts
A major reason why NBA players decided to move to the NBA bubble in Orlando with the country amid a huge social movement was to use that platform to highlight key issues. Since then, many steps have been taken such as putting a Black Lives Matter logo on each of the three courts in use during the NBA restart.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski mentioned during the latest episode of the Woj Pod that not every NBA owner was too enthusiastic about the move.
"Not every owner in the NBA was enthusiastic about having 'Black Lives Matter' on the court. I know they all weren't. Some are extremely supportive. Some less so. None of them publicly so."
NBA stands up for Black Lives Matter
One thing that's never been doubt is the NBA's stance against racism. You only have to look back to 2014 when former LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling was banned by the NBA for racist remarks. The franchise was then sold to Steve Ballmer who himself is very vocal when it comes to police brutality.
Also read: Michael Jordan takes an active role to facilitate talks between owners and players
It comes as no surprise then that the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver in particular have remained committed to the Black Lives Matter movement. Delving on the issue of putting Black Lives Matter on NBA courts, Wojnarowski further explained how Silver went about convincing the team owners.
"But I do know Adam Silver told them, 'Hey guys, this is what we're going to do to support our players. Our league is overwhelmingly comprised of African-American players. This is important. This is a partnership. We need to work together to get through this season and into next year.'"
NBA players continue to discuss next steps
A lot of efforts have already been taken to support the Black Lives Matter movement. We've had social justice messages on the back of the jerseys of players. The NBA and NBPA have already agreed to start a foundation where team owners will be contributing $300 million over the next 10 years and this fund will be used towards causes that the players feel passionate about.
Several meetings involving NBA players have also been held since the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their game yesterday to discuss the steps from here onwards with the team governors. We can only wait and hope that more meaningful decisions are taken as a result of these interactions.
Also read: When does the NBA resume?