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In an event that is unprecedented in its nature in NBA history, the Milwaukee Bucks stayed in their locker room ahead of Game 5 against the Orlando Magic at the AdventHealth Arena. This means that they are effectively boycotting a playoff game to protest the Jacob Blake shooting.
Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic lead NBA boycott
With the Black Lives Matter movement in full swing during the NBA restart, the Milwaukee Bucks have made a drastic statement. Their decision not to take the court in a high-stakes, playoff game despite having the biggest of advantages should be an example that will be remembered for many years.
The Milwaukee Bucks are the franchise closest to Kenosha, where the Jacob Blake shooting took place. Sterling Brown, a rotation member of the team, is currently pressing charges against the Police Department of the city of Milwaukee for a racially motivated incident in early 2018. The team knows as much about police brutality as any in American sports.
They have likely back-to-back MVP winner Giannis Antetokounmpo in their ranks. This move is likely to send shockwaves across the sporting world. There has not been any comparable event protesting racial discrimination or demanding social justice in any corner of the world at this magnitude in the past several years.
The NBA is attempting to find a peaceful way out of this deadlock. There is no update as to how successful their efforts have been, as of yet. Given how the Bucks did not even come out for stretching and warmups, there seems to be precious little possible to convince them to take the court at this stage.
There does exist a framework to penalize teams for failing to appear in games. But given the extraordinary nature of this year's NBA season, the restart and the backdrop of social justice, it remains to be seen whether it will be enforced or not. There's a pretty good chance that the NBA glosses over this move too.
There is also news emerging that the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder are preparing to boycott their own game, scheduled at 6:30 PM ET today. LeBron James has tweeted his support of the Milwaukee Bucks' actions, and there's a strong likelihood that the last game of the day (Lakers vs Blazers) to be played at 9 PM ET may also be boycotted by both teams.
