NBA

NBA, MLB games postponed out of protest

Taylor Haase
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Pat Connaughton of the Milwaukee Bucks. -- MILWAUKEE BUCKS / TWITTER

The NBA has postponed all games on Wednesday due to a wave of player boycotts in peaceful protest.

The player protests come after a reportedly unarmed Black man named Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times in Kenosha, Wis. on Sunday. Blake's father announced on Tuesday that Blake is currently paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the shooting.

A Blake family attorney said that Blake was “breaking up a fight between two women" when the police arrived, responding to a "domestic incident." Video shows that Blake was shot in the back after opening the driver's side door to the car that contained his three sons. Another attorney representing the family said that Blake did not have a weapon in his car.

“Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times in front of his children," said Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes on Monday. "And let me be clear, this was not an accident. This was not bad police work. This felt like some sort of vendetta being taking out on a member of our community. ... The irony is not lost on me that as Jacob Blake was actually trying to deescalate a situation in his community, but the responding officer didn’t feel the need to do the same."

The Milwaukee Bucks, who play in Blake's home state of Wisconsin, were the first to boycott when they did not take the court for their Game 5 against the Orlando Magic.

The Bucks remained in the locker room at the time the game was supposed to begin, on a conference call with Barnes and Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul.


Bucks vice president Alex Lasry came out in support of the players' decision on Twitter:

It was then reported that the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder were both planning to boycott their game on Wednesday, and the Lakers were having a team meeting to determine whether they would do the same for their game.

The NBA released a statement shortly after announcing that all of Wednesday's games have been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date.

"The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association today announced that in light of the Milwaukee Bucks' decision to not take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, today's three games – Bucks vs. Magic, Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers - have been postponed. Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled."

Teams released statements in support of the decision:

Former NBA player Kenny Smith walked off of the Inside the NBA broadcast in support of the players:

Another former player, Chris Webber, had some powerful words:

NBA players held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss how to proceed with the remainder of the playoffs. Multiple reports said that the Lakers and Clippers both voted to end the playoffs, then walked out of the meeting behind Lebron James. No decision has been made on the remainder of the postseason, and the Lakers and Clippers haven't officially withdrawn, they only voted against continuing.

Discussions are expected to continue on Thursday.

WNBA

In the WNBA bubble, the Washington Mystics wore shirts spelling out Blake's name with markings on the back signifying the seven bullet wounds.

The WNBA joined the NBA in postponing all of Wednesday's games:

Chicago Sky coach James Wade, a Black man, had this to say:

MLB

The Brewers and Reds both agreed to sit out of their game Wednesday night.

The Mariners decided to not play Wednesday's game against the Padres:

The Dodgers-Giants game was postponed:

Cardinals players Dexter Fowler and Jack Flaherty sat out in solidarity with the other athletes protesting on Wednesday. The Cardinals host the Pirates on Thursday.

The Pirates' Cole Tucker summed up the day with this:

NFL

The Lions canceled practice Tuesday in protest, and tweeted this on Wednesday in support of the athletes sitting out of games Wednesday:

Washington Football Team has canceled Thursday's practice in light of the events:

The Steelers' Chase Claypool shared a screenshot of a text from his father, sharing the fear that comes with interactions with police:

MLS

Major League Soccer released this statement:

The game between Miami and Atlanta was postponed, and players appeared on the pitch before the game wearing Black Lives Matter shirts:

The Seattle game was also postponed, and its goalkeeper tweeted this:

TENNIS

Naomi Osaka, ranked No. 10 by the WTA, has pulled out of Thursday's Western & Southern Open semifinals in solidarity with the other athletes across sports boycotting.

"If I can get a conversation started in a majority white sport, I consider that a step in the right direction."

NHL

Liam McHugh, Anson Carter, and Keith Jones praised the NBA players' decision on the NHL on NBC broadcast:

Sportsnet analyst and former NHL goaltender Kelly Hrudey said that he thought the NHL should have postponed Wednesday's games:

The Wild's Matt Dumba and Sharks' Evander Kane, both members of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, tweeted in support of the NBA players:

Kane also joined Sportsnet to talk about what NHL players can do to support the anti-racism movement. Kane praised Robin Lehner as an example of a white player who is taking actual action:

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said that he does not expect the NHL to follow the NBA's plans:

The NHL will instead hold a "moment of reflection" prior to tonight's games:

The NHL wished Blake and his family well:

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