LeBron James and NBA Players Have Decided on the Fate of 2020 Playoffs
The sports world was shaken again after another devastating incident involving law enforcement as 29-year-old Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a police officer in Wisconsin. The situation left him paralyzed from the waist down, which saw NBA players respond by boycotting playing their playoff games on Wednesday. All that put the 2020 postseason in jeopardy, but LeBron James and his colleagues have decided the rest of the season’s fate.
NBA players decide to boycott to playoff games
The NBA has moved smoothly through the restarted 2019-20 season in the Orlando Bubble without much of a hitch.
However, the incident involving Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has heavily impacted the NBA community. That led to the players left in the Orlando Bubble to decide not to participate in any playoff games on Wednesday night. It was a choice made in uniformity due to the various ranges of emotions that many players felt after the troubling incident.
The chatter quickly shifted over to the possibility of the rest of the playoffs canceled altogether. The players held a meeting on Wednesday night to air their emotions. That saw both the LA Lakers and LA Clippers led by LeBron James voice their sentiment toward boycotting the rest of the playoffs.
That has left the strong sense that the 2020 season could end due to the United States’ continued social injustices. With that in mind, James and his fellow NBA players have come to a decision.
LeBron James, NBA players choose to continue the playoffs
Following an emotionally driven meeting on Wednesday night, the NBA players remaining in the Orlando Bubble reconvened on Thursday morning.
The conversation was much different this time around, with the players seeing more eye-to-eye on the situation. It saw them come to a mutual agreement to continue the 2020 playoffs, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The expectation was that Thursday’s games weren’t not going to be played regardless of the meeting outcome. The league has scheduled another meeting on Thursday with two players from each team talking to NBA owners to formulate action plans to address racial injustice matters and figure out when the playoffs will be restarted.
There is chatter that the games could begin again by Friday or the weekend at the latest. Nonetheless, the players’ actions have pushed the league to be more proactive in helping address social justice issues.
More steps toward action coming forth for the NBA
Over the last few months, the NBA has taken significant steps toward allowing its players to utilize its platform to raise social justice awareness.
However, that wasn’t nearly enough to help make progress toward ending these societal issues. There is much the league can still do, such as their financial means to help the cause while further using their elevated platform to create change. That will see more unfold on that front in the coming days with the NBA laying out their action plans.
It’s a fluid conversation that has opened up additional pathways for the players and team governors to make stronger lasting impact. There many different avenues that the league can take that can help use their massive influence in a positive manner.
It’s another bump in the road for the league, but one needed to push it forward to empower their players to create positive change in respective their communities.
