While five teams have decided to boycott their games on Wednesday to denounce the recent police intervention against African-American Jacob Blake, the NBA has finally postponed the three playoff games that were scheduled for the day.
• Read also: Celtics, Raptors consider boycotting game
• Read also: Anger is spreading to several American cities
The Milwaukee Bucks were the first to act as they faced the Orlando Magic at 4 p.m. in Game 5 of their first-round series.
The Bucks players did not show up on the floor for the start of the game. For their part, the Magic players left the field with less than four minutes left before the start of the meeting.
Shortly after, the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder let it be known that they would not be playing their scheduled early evening first-round game, The Athletic reported.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers, who were scheduled to meet at 9 p.m., had also decided not to play until the NBA ceased operations.
The Raptors too
Other NBA teams, including the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics, are also considering boycott of games in response to events involving Jacob Blake, an African American who was shot seven times by a police officer on Sunday. in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Two people were killed Tuesday in Kenosha during demonstrations to denounce this particular police intervention.
NBA players have been very active in showing their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement since the start of the resumption of activities in Orlando.
Some players, including Norman Powell and Pascal Siakam of the Raptors, feel that putting the knee on the ground during the national anthems is probably not enough to spark change and contribute to the cause.
According to Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, some players are even considering leaving the NBA bubble in Orlando to be able to do more.