On Wednesday, August 26, 2020, the NBA postponed three games following the shooting/killing of Jacob Blake. With police brutality amongst blacks seemingly being such an on going issue in this country, the tragedy was glaring to the public. Simply put, the people were tired. Tired of seeing such news being aired. Tired of a beautiful life put to rest, once again due to the carelessness of a police officer. Along with “the people” which were tired, were NBA players. With the actual shooting happening just three days before the NBA’s decision, you can tell that the NBA didn’t need much time discussing their decision. With projects like such, the NBA has a special group of players that they nominate to represent all of the players known as the “Players Association”.

It’s safe to say that the players were outraged. They let it be known very clear. Because of their fame and status, their social media platforms are great to raise awareness and express themselves. A lot of the players used this opportunity to give their condolences and share their anger. For example, former Utah Jazz guard tweeted, “F THE GAMES AND PLAYOFFS!!! THIS IS SICK AND IS A REAL PROBLEM WE DEMAND JUSTICE! ITS CRAZY I DONT HAVE ANY WORDS BUT WTF MAN! THIS IS WHY WE DONT FEEL SAFE!!!!” To continue, the biggest name in basketball, Lebron James tweeted, “FUCK THIS MAN!!!! WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT.” These examples shows the seriousness and disgust amongst the league.

To me, I feel like the most important part of this protest was that it was player oriented and led. NBA players are like superheroes to the world, so for them to respond in such a way emphasized the awareness. Also, with it being playoff games which were postponed, it made it even more eye opening to the world. The average NBA player is known for his basketball abilities and being in his jersey on the court. So for them, this was like them saying, “Hey, I’m more than just an athlete. I have a voice, and what is happening isn’t right.” To the rest of the world, this was the player’s first time giving basketball a backseat in their life, and with the help of the outside media platforms pushing their decision stamped the protest even more.

Overall, do I think that postponing the games fixed all the wrong in the future related to this type of tragedy, of course not. But, I do believe that it raised awareness and shined a light on these kind of tragedies. I do believe that it enhanced the player’s voices for the future and made the world see them for more than just an athlete.