Breaking News: NBA Teams Boycott Wednesday Night Playoff Games Surrounding the Shooting of Jacob Blake

To preface this, please understand this is not to discount the good in most people, but the actions of some hurt us all the same.

I couldn't be more proud to see NBA teams do something as significant as deciding to boycott a playoff game due to the harm of an unarmed black man.

The Magic and Bucks were scheduled to play at 4 p.m. but didn't show to the court. Representatives from the Bucks told media that due to the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha, Wisconsin police officers, the players have decided to boycott today's game. The shooters involved are on administrative leave.

But the buck didn't stop there. The games following have decided to boycott and stand with the Bucks in their decision not to play.

The NBA released the following statement,

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association today announced that in light of the Milwaukee Bucks' decision to not take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, today's three games – Bucks vs. Magic, Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers - have been postponed. Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled.

Bucks guard George Hill says to The Undefeated,

My team is not playing against Orlando tonight in light of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, "We're tired of the killings and the injustice."

You may think it's unconscionable, but wearing names on the back of the jersey isn't enough if you want change.

Being Black in America is detailed from the moment you're conceived. You might think I'm over exaggerating but ask a Black mother her first thought when she heard she was having a Black son. Fear immediately enters your heart because you know what people think when they see him. No family should fear not coming home at night.

Racism is embodied in America and her history. No need to tell you the stories of our past, but within the last year, you've been upgraded to the realties of your fellow Black Americans. It isn't easy. And there is no way non-Blacks can apologize or 'right the wrong' of their ancestors, but what you can do is align yourself with Black and brown people and join in the fight for equality.

The fight for equality will exhaust you, but fighting for our future is worth every blood sweat and tear. Let it be now that this pain stops with us. Let this be the last time we have to march, protest, boycott, or force the hand of powers to recognize that we need to change.

Saying Black Lives Matter is a call to justice, to act, and to change. No longer should anyone of color be afraid to exist in the skin they're in. No longer should fear be present when facing authority. No longer should my skin be a qualification to speak before I open my mouth. My life, those who look like me, aren't saying we are better than you, we're saying we want to matter just as much as you do. Equal. That's all we want.

This movement, or this simple sentence, should not be seen as a threat. In no way am I saying your life is devalued, I'm telling you, I matter too. Imagine having to say those words; luckily, most of you don't have to. What scares people the most is living in a time we all thought we would never see again. We're living in a world of transparency, where being silent isn't an option. We can't progress if one of us is oppressed.

"You don't need to be Black to be outraged; Being an American should make you outraged." - Doc Rivers

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