When new LA Lakers signing Sterling Brown refused to play in a playoff game to bring attention to police reforms

Sterling Brown, the new LA Lakers signing, once refused to play in a playoff game to give attention to Jacob Blake. Blake, an unarmed black man, was shot seven times in the back by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

It was one of the multiple issues that NBA players and others around the world believed to be prevalent during that time. Sterling Brown and others wanted to end the season while in the NBA bubble. Instead, they worked with NBA owners to use arenas as voting locations and preached about police reform.

Sterling Brown had a lot to say about the situation:

“It was extremely important just to support each other, support my teammates and even take a stand for something bigger than us,” said Brown, who is now a guard with the Mavs. “We put the world on notice, we turned a lot of heads and made a lot of noise."

“We tried to do what we could do to make a difference and help somebody – help a family get justice, and just dissect the whole situation to where it’s fair. It was extremely important for us to do it that way.”

“Voting, that’s a touchy subject for me,” Brown told Mavs.com. “But we made changes, not just in the voting sector, but in the social and criminal justice (sectors)."

“We were able to talk to the higher ranks, senators and the mayor and the police chief in Milwaukee. So, it definitely was a good look on that end.”

Sterling Brown wouldn't play in NBA Playoff game

Not only was Sterling Brown someone that didn't want to play, George Hill of the Bucks also raised his concerns about what was going on.

“This world has to change. Our police department has to change. Us as society has to change. Right now, we’re not seeing any of that. Lives are being taken as we speak day in and day out. There’s no consequence or accountability for it. That’s what has to change.”

Hill also brought up some good points, noting that things need to change. During that summer, multiple unarmed black men were wrongfully killed. This is an issue in America that is still too prevalent, despite what Sterling Brown and George Hill did.

George Hill even added that playing in the bubble felt messed up because of what was going on outside of the bubble:

"We’re down here playing in the bubble to do these things for social justice and all that, and to see it all still going on and we’re just playing the games like it’s nothing, it’s just a really messed up situation right now."

The NBA and its players continue to try to preach inequality and many other things. Perhaps in the future, things will start to change. Having NBA players speak on social issues is important. If a person sees their favorite player talking about inequality, there's a chance that they will respect their words and follow after them.