Toronto Raptors’ gunbase Kyle Lowry said players had “seriously considered” abandoning the Walt Disney World bubble if the league, homeowners and groups disagreed with their social justice initiatives.
“It’s a very, very serious consideration,” Lowry said, through Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
“I think we (the Raptors and other NBA players) were serious,” he said, through Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. “I think it would have been taken seriously [if it weren’t for the projects that the NBA and NBPA have committed to].”
The NBA and its Players Association issued a joint Friday describing the various efforts the two sides will make during the ongoing combat opposed to systemic racism and police brutality.
Serge Ibaka echoed the comments of his teammate, saying: “We were close. We were very close,” to Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star.
While the Milwaukee Bucks players were the first to sit down for a game after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, Malika Andrews and ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reported that the Raptors held a team assembly Tuesday to discuss the absence of the first game. of his second-round series against the Boston Celtics.
“We knew coming or coming here wouldn’t prevent things, but I think at the end of the day, playing or playing puts pressure on someone,” Raptors guard Fred VanVleet said.
The Milwaukee game opposed to the Orlando Magic was despite all being postponed, as was the rest of the list and the games on Thursday and Friday.
The players held meetings and at the end to resume the season. Taylor Rooks of the Bleacher Report reported: “Many players believed that leaving the bubble would take away their platform and felt that racing Orlando at this great level can lead to genuine replacement and awareness.”
The set issued through the league and the Players Association describes 3 express initiatives, the first of which has established a coalition for social justice with players, coaches and governors to advocate for voting, police reform and more.
The initiative of the moment asked governors to paint with election officials to turn the arenas into voting centers for the 2020 elections, while the third called for higher announcements in playoff games to raise awareness of social issues and voting opportunities.
On the field, the Lowry Raptors lost the first to the Celtics on Sunday 112-94.