Raptors' Sullinger supports protests, believes NBA players will kneel

NBA media days are often light-hearted affairs before the the Association's real action picks up, but Jared Sullinger took time at his first Toronto Raptors Media Day to address the recent spate of police-involved violence in the United States, and athletes' responses to it.

"I do believe there will be some NBA players that will take a knee," Sullinger said of potential anthem protests. "We have a rule in our code of conduct that anything against the flag will be a fine, so we're interested to see what will happen."

The league's official stance on the matter states that "players, coaches, and trainers are to stand and line up in a dignified posture along the sidelines or on the foul line during the playing of the National Anthem." Having said that, the league chose not to fine players during the 2014-15 season who violated uniform rules by wearing "I Can't Breathe" shirts in response to the death of Eric Garner, so there is precedent of allowing players to circumvent certain rules when it comes to peaceful protests.

Related: NBA sends players memo encouraging community outreach

A number of American athletes, most notably Colin Kaepernick, have peacefully protested by kneeling during the signing of the American anthem. The San Francico 49ers quarterback has said that he won't stand up and show pride for a country that oppresses people of color. It was reported last week that multiple NBA players are planning the same type of protest.

"What Colin Kaepernick is doing speaks volumes about himself," Sullinger told reporters from Toronto's practice facility. "It shows that he wants peace."

Sullinger has been among the NBA's most outspoken players on social media over the last couple weeks, as the police shootings of unarmed African-Americans continue to dominate headlines.

"It's a touchy subject, but it's reality," the big man said Monday.

"I have a voice and I want my voice to be heard," Sullinger said. "Twitter's a start. I just want people to understand that things are not really headed in the right direction where we want America, and the only way we can change it is by us, the people. If we want change, we must change within ourselves. We can't just say we want change and go out there and do the same thing that we've been doing."