When NBA players embarked on their journey to the Orlando bubble, they came with the demand that they would be able to advocate for social justice and Black Lives Matter. The bubble came on the heels of numerous police shootings that took the lives of black people. As a result, NBA players were able to wear social justice messages on their jerseys, while also displaying BLM messaging on the actual basketball courts.
During a recent interview with Rachel Nichols, in the midst of the NBA Finals, NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke about the movement and what will happen to it next year. As he stated, Silver believes things will return to how they were before, which means BLM messaging will be removed from the court. Based on his comments, Silver thinks the messaging could alienate fans. However, the commissioner reiterated that he is more than happy to help the players realize their efforts, off of the court.
”My sense is there’ll be somewhat a return to normalcy, that those messages will largely be left to be delivered off the floor, and I understand those people who are saying ‘I’m on your side, but I want to watch a basketball game,'" Silver said. The NBA commissioner went on to note just how important it is to support the players in their mission.
The players have been able to accomplish a lot on the social justice front, especially with every single NBA arena being turned into a voting station come November 3rd. Even if the messaging is taken away in 2020-2021, the players will have a lot to be proud of.