Report: NBA players decide to resume playoffs, Thursday's games postponed
The NBA's players have decided to resume the playoffs following Wednesday's protest for Jacob Blake, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Thursday's three scheduled playoff games will be postponed, the league announced. The NBA stated it is hoping to resume play on either Friday or Saturday.
During the meeting, players expressed a desire to come up with new and improved ways of making social justice statements, The Athletic's Shams Charania reports. Current measures include wearing Black Lives Matter warmup shirts, speaking up against social injustices during media sessions, and kneeling during the national anthem.
The sacrifices players have already made thus far inside the NBA bubble were also discussed, according to Charania.
"The bubble is about more than just crowning a champion. More so now than ever. It felt like the message was fading," an anonymous veteran player told Spears regarding the upcoming owners meeting. "Hopeful this can create a new level of activism and commitment from our owners, league, teams towards real change."
A video conference call featuring NBA players, team governors from the 13 current playoff teams, NBPA and league office representatives, and NBA Labor Relations Committee Chairman Michael Jordan is scheduled for Thursday afternoon to discuss the next steps toward a return.
After LeBron James reportedly called for more action from NBA owners before departing Wednesday night's meeting, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar relayed on Thursday that it's in players' best interest to finish the season.
The Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers were the only two teams to reportedly vote against resuming the season during Wednesday's initial meeting.
All three of Wednesday's games were postponed after the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play Game 5 of their first-round series against the Orlando Magic. The team-wide decision to sit out the contest was in response to the recent police shooting of Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.