The NBA on Friday sent a memo to its teams reminding them that players and coaches must stand for the national anthem.
The NBA, unlike the NFL, has a rule that states players and coaches must stand for the anthem. The memo was sent at a time when athletes across multiple sports have kneeled during the national anthem as a way of protesting social and racial injustice, as well as perceived police brutality.
Instead of kneeling for the anthem, the league suggested in the memo that teams deliver pregame addresses to fans before the first home game.
According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, “the memo also suggests teams might prepare a video tribute or public service announcement featuring “team leadership speaking about the issues they care about.”
In 1996, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was suspended two games for not standing for the anthem, saying the flag represented oppression. No NBA player has kneeled for the anthem since Colin Kaepernick’s actions a year ago.
