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LA Clippers and the NBA continue to be on the right side of history

Randi Geffner|
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - JULY 30: The Los Angeles Lakers and the LA Clippers wear Black Lives Matter Shirt and kneel during the national anthem prior to the game against the LA Clippers at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on July 30, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - JULY 30: The Los Angeles Lakers and the LA Clippers wear Black Lives Matter Shirt and kneel during the national anthem prior to the game against the LA Clippers at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on July 30, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The LA Clippers and the NBA have, once again, taken a stand on the right side of history.

The LA Clippers and the entire national sports community have said enough is enough. In the midst of playoff battles, isolated in Orlando due to a historic global pandemic, and in the wake of the Milwaukee Bucks refusing to play in protest over yet another in a tragically familiar violent police shooting into the back of a black man, Jacob Blake, they are taking action.

In advance of the resumption of the NBA playoffs, the NBA and the NBPA have issued a joint statement defining the immediate path forward in support of social justice and racial equality. The commitments made by the league and the players are strong, important, and concrete:

  1. The establishment of a social justice coalition between players, coaches, and governors, focusing on issues such as access to voting, promoting civic engagement, and acting as advocates for police and criminal justice reform.
  2. A commitment by team governors to work with local election officials to convert NBA arenas into voting locations for the 2020 general election in November, allowing for safe, in-person voting for communities vulnerable to Covid-19.
  3. A collaboration between the league, players, and television networks to create and include advertising in each playoff game to promote greater involvement in elections and raise awareness around voter access and opportunity.

These real and immediate steps forward are in stark contrast to the “shut up and dribble” mantra coming from the White House and administration officials. In just the past day, President Trump mockingly referred to the NBA as a “political organization”, discounting the opinions and actions of athletes based on his apparent belief that the heightened political activism of the NBA it is not “a good thing for sports or for the country”. The Chief of Staff to Vice President Pence echoed this limited mentality, calling the widespread NBA protests “absurd and silly”.

And Senior White House Adviser Jared Kushner, the President’s son-in-law, looked down
from his position of privilege amidst his net worth estimated to be about $800 million to comment that the NBA players were fortunate to have enough money to take a night off from work.

In stark contrast to the current administration, former President Obama voiced his full support of the Bucks, the NBA players, and Doc Rivers specifically, tweeting out a video of Doc’s emotional and raw interview about the shooting and stating that he commends the players, Doc, the NBA and the WNBA for setting an example and standing up for our values.

President Obama is right. President Trump and his minions are not. The NBA family has the platform, the visibility, the resources, and the motivation to effectuate real and immediate change. Any attempt to silence those voices is both absurd and silly and is undoubtedly not in the best interests of anyone in this country. The collective voices of the NBA advocating for change, and empowerment through voting, are sadly unlikely to alter the beliefs of small-minded racists. But police reform, voting, and awareness will engender change moving forward, drowning out those who oppose equality and justice.

This is a time for proud NBA and Clippers fans to be part of that change.

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