NBA players decided they weren’t going to take the court on Wednesday after Jacob Blake
, a Black man in Kenosha, WI, was shot seven times by local police days earlier. As protesters have taken to the streets of Wisconsin begging for justice and accountability, Milwaukee Bucks players made the decision to strike ahead of their game against the Orlando Magic. Players in the Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder series and the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers series decided to follow the Bucks and strike themselves.With three games originally on the schedule, TNT still had a pre-game show to put on. A powerful moment happened early in the broadcast when Kenny Smith walked off the set to stand in solidarity with NBA players.“As a black man, as a former player, I think it’s best for me to support the players and just not be here tonight,” Smith said.
NBA players were hesitant to come to the bubble because they thought it would take away from the fight against police brutality going on in the streets. The players have now made an unprecedented statement through collective action. Whatever comes next, this is a day in NBA history that will never be forgotten.
The image of Smith walking off the TNT set in support of the players is simply another moving moment in a day full of them.