A number of NBA players have raised the question of whether or not it is appropriate for the 2019-20 season to continue, but all indications are that there will be a champion crowned this year.
National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne that players want to make sure they can enhance the Black Lives Matter movement if they resume the season. She said the discussions on Friday’s conference call organized by Kyrie Irving were just that — discussions.
“It’s not a question of play or not play,” Roberts said. “It’s a question of, does playing again harm a movement that we absolutely, unequivocally embrace? And then whether our play can, in fact, highlight, encourage and enhance this movement.
“That’s what they’re talking about. They’re not fighting about it; they’re talking about it.”
Some players are concerned about becoming a distraction in the wake of the George Floyd protests, while others are not comfortable with the plans the NBA has in place to resume the season in a campus-like environment at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Roberts said players have been urged to make their own decisions about whether they feel it is appropriate to play.
Despite all that, ESPN reports that discussions over the weekend with players, agents and NBPA and league officials gave no indication that the resumption of the season is in jeopardy. It is also believed that the number of players who are actually considering sitting out is not significant.
It seems more likely that NBA players will come together and decide how they want to show solidarity when play resumes. As Roberts said she told players, American sprinters John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised black-gloved fists while on the medal stand at the Summer Olympics in 1968 to send a message about social change. They would not have been able to do that had they chosen not to compete.
LeBron James believes he can continue to make a difference in society while playing basketball at the same time. As one player hinted over the weekend, LeBron’s feelings on the subject may be all that matters in the long run.
