Milwaukee Bucks Boycott Draws Praise From Around The League

Miami Heat forward Andre Iguodala, the vice president of the NBA Players Association, knows it sometimes takes extreme action for change.

The Milwaukee Bucks made historic news when they decided to boycott Wednesday's Game 5 against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The decision was made to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake shooting, a black who was hit seven times in the back by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisc. The city is about 30 minutes outside Milwaukee.

"When you talk about boycotting a game, everyone’s antenna goes up," Iguodala said. "It’s sad you have to make threats like that, I wouldn’t say threats, but you have to be willing to sacrifice a paycheck or corporate money for people to realize there’s a big problem going out there."

The NBA has been among the most vocal leagues fighting against social justice issues. It was adamant in showing support of George Floyd, a black man who died after being in custody of four Minneapolis police officers in May. Players around the league backed the Bucks, who are led by reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, for their decision to raise awareness of police brutality.

Shortly after the announcement, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James posted his thoughts on social media.

FUCK THIS MAN!!!! WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 26, 2020

Others including Utah Jazz forward Donovan Mitchell and DeMar DeRozan of the San Antonio Spurs also chimed in. Like many, they are tired of hearing about incidents similar to Blake, who was left paralyzed from the waist down after the shooting. The league has also rallied around Louisville woman Breonna Taylor, who was killed during a botched police raid in March, and many others.

WE DEMAND CHANGE! SALUTE @Bucks ✊🏾🙏🏾🗣
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) August 26, 2020

Respect @bucks!!!!
— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) August 26, 2020

Iguodala said he hopes these efforts continue until change is made. He wants players to keep using their platforms.

"We need to pay attention more to it," Iguodala said. "We've got to continue to address it. We can't drown out the peaceful message that we have been putting out on the platform as well."

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