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The NBA has been extremely supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement. The movement gathered pace worldwide and especially in the United States after George Floyd was subjected to police brutality.
The NBA came forward with a statement condemning the actions of the policemen involved in the death of George Floyd. The NBA also allowed the players to wear social messages on the back of their jerseys which were approved by the league itself.
Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri releases statement
Recently, a video went viral on social media in which Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri is being shoved by a police enforcement officer. This incident took place right after the Toronto Raptors won the championship defeating the Golden State Warriors in the game six of the NBA finals.
Ujiri played a key role in building the Toronto Raptors team which achieved this feat and the appointment of Nick Nurse as the head coach. He was also instrumental in the Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green trade which sent Toronto Raptors legend Demar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs.
Masai Ujiri has released a statement thanking the fans and the media for their support and empathy. Here is an excerpt from the statement-
"The video sadly demonstrates how horribly I was treated by a law enforcement officer last year in the midst of my team, the Toronto Raptors, winning its first world championship. It was an exhilarating moment of achievement for our organization, for our players, for our city, for our country, and for me personally, given my long-tenured professional journey in the NBA".
Start of NBA free agency could be pushed back by several weeks
In a report by eminent NBA journalist Adrian Wojnarowski, it has been revealed that the NBA players association has been preparing players for the probability that the start of free agency in mid-October could be pushed back several weeks.
This step is being taken due to the fact the league itself got pushed to later a date due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The league is currently being played in a bubble in Orlando. The NBA bubble experiment has been successful as zero players tested positive for COVID-19 in latest round of testing.
Jimmy Butler pokes fun at Tyler Herro in the game against Indiana Pacers
In other NBA news, the Miami Heat gained a 2-0 advantage over their eastern conference rivals Indiana Pacers after 109-100 victory. The Miami Heat players shot really well from behind the three-point arc and gave no chance to the Indiana Pacers to make a comeback in the game.
In a video trending on social media, Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler can be seen having banter with the young rookie Tyler Herro. The Heat had selected Herro in the first round of the NBA draft and he is touted to become a special talent in the league. You can check out the video here-
Also read: Indiana Pacers vs Miami Heat Prediction & Match Preview - August 22nd, 2020 | Game 3
