All of the three NBA playoff games on Wednesday have been postponed after players called to boycott and fight against racial injustice. The Milwaukee Bucks refused to play with the Orlando Magic as a sign of protest due to Jacob Blake shooting. A 29-year-old black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin was shot by Rusten Sheskey seven times in the back as he opened the door of his car. Blake is recovering now in hospital, but it is impossible for him to walk again according to his lawyers. This incident had caused protests to stop police brutality and all racially motivated violence.
The two games following Bucks versus Magic match were also rescheduled, but the NBA did not say when would it be. Houston Rockets versus Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers versus Portland Trail Blazers play were called off because they also decided to boycott their respective games. The boycott began when Milwaukee Bucks did not take the floor for their Game 5 of the first-round series against the Orlando Magic. “Some things are bigger than basketball,” Bucks Senior Vice President Alex Lasry said on his Twitter account. “The stand taken today by the players and the organization shows that we’re fed up. Enough is enough. Change needs to happen. I’m incredibly proud of our guys and we stand 100% behind our players ready to assist and bring about the real change.”
NBA player and coaches held a meeting at the Disney Bubble to discuss plans regarding the cancellation of three games on Wednesday. The Lakers and Clippers are pushing to end the season and star player Lebron James demanded change as he wants the team owners to be more involved and should take an action. Milwaukee Bucks owners then released a joint statement saying “We fully support our players and the decision they made. Although we did not know beforehand, we would have wholeheartedly agreed with them. The only way to bring about change is to shine a light on the racial injustices that are happening in front of us. Our players have done that and we will continue to stand alongside them and demand accountability and change.”
Other sports in the United States were also postponed to show protest for Mr. Blake shooting. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is fighting for equality while some are continuously abusing black people. When would this inhumane social injustice end?
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