Report: Pelicans, Jazz discussing kneeling in unison during anthem

The New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz are discussing holding a joint protest during the national anthem before they play the first game of the NBA season's restart Thursday, sources told ESPN's Malika Andrews.

The two teams have reportedly discussed kneeling together around the "Black Lives Matter" signage on the court, a visual that the league implemented for the restart. Coaches are expected to join players in the protest, Andrews adds.

Players from the top eight teams participating in the seeding games reportedly held recent meetings and discussed their intentions to kneel during the anthem on the opening days of the resumption.

A line in the NBA rulebook 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." However, league officials aren't expected to enforce the rule, Andrews reports.

Commissioner Adam Silver asserted in late June that the league would deal with potential kneeling protests on a case-by-case basis.

"We've had a rule on our books that goes back to the early '80s, that precedes even David Stern's tenure as commissioner, that calls for players to stand in a line at attention during the national anthem," Silver said at the time. "I also understand the role of protest, and I think that we'll deal with that situation when it presents itself."