Update: Aug. 26, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET
The WNBA joined the NBA in protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake by postponing its games tonight.
ESPN W shared an interview on the court via Twitter with Washington Mystics guard Ariel Atkins, who said, “We’re not just basketball players and if you think we are then don’t watch us, you’re watching the wrong sport because we’re so much more than that. We’re going to say what we need to say and people need to hear that.”
The interview took place after the Mystics spelled “Jacob Blake” with their T-shirts that also had seven holes on the back for the seven shots that a police officer fired into Blake on Sunday.
Ariel Atkins with a powerful message on why WNBA players decided not to play tonight. pic.twitter.com/CGs0eXmTI5
— espnW (@espnW) August 26, 2020
Additionally, members of the Milwaukee Bucks spoke to reporters and provided a statement — including ESPN NBA reporter Malika Andrews, who shared it on Twitter — after boycotting tonight’s Game 5 matchup against the Orlando Magic.
Watch on FN
The Milwaukee Bucks statement: pic.twitter.com/F7XOPs4NqE
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) August 26, 2020
Update: Aug. 26, 2020 at 7 p.m. ET
The NBA and its teams aren’t alone in its decision to not play games today. In a story this evening, ESPN stated the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds also won’t play their game tonight, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. The ESPN story also said more teams are discussing potentially not playing including the Seattle Mariners.
Update: Aug. 26, 2020 at 5:50 p.m. ET
After the league-wide postponement of Game 5 playoff action, NBA players are reportedly meeting to talk about moving forward from today’s boycotts.
“Every NBA player is invited to join the meeting in The Bubble at 8 PM to discuss how they’ll proceed from today’s boycotts, sources tell @ZachLowe_NBA and me,” ESPN senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski revealed on Twitter.
Every NBA player is invited to join the meeting in The Bubble at 8 PM to discuss how they'll proceed from today's boycotts, sources tell @ZachLowe_NBA and me.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2020
Wojnarowski also revealed on the social media platform that “NBA, owners and front offices didn’t see this wave of player boycotts coming today” and expected the games to be played. The NBA insider called this moment “a pivot point for the NBA and professional sports in North America.”
What We Originally Reported
The Milwaukee Bucks have boycotted tonight’s playoff matchup against the Orlando Magic to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. And not long after news of the team’s boycott broke, the NBA stated it was postponing all of tonight’s games.
“Bucks guard George Hill says to @TheUndefeated his team is not playing against Orlando tonight in light of shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisc. ‘We’re tired of the killings and the injustice,’ Hill to @TheUndefeated,” The Undefeated senior NBA writer Marc Spears tweeted at roughly 4:15 p.m. ET.
According to an ESPN report, the Bucks did not make their way to the court ahead of the game’s 4 p.m. ET start time, which led league officials to enter the team’s locker room. The Magic exited the court prior to the scheduled tipoff after taking part in a pre-game warmup.
ESPN NBA reporter Malika Andrews then shared video on Twitter of bags of Milwaukee’s belongings being placed on hand carts and brought to the team’s buses.
Milwaukee gear is being loaded up and bags are headed back to the buses. pic.twitter.com/Bh3WuXPRDc
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) August 26, 2020
Not long after news of this boycott was reported, ESPN revealed on the social media platform that the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets were also boycotting tonight’s Game 5, which was first reported by The Athletic. Also, social media reports stated the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers were discussing a boycott of their matchup.
Breaking: The Thunder and Rockets are also boycotting Game 5, first reported by The Athletic and confirmed by ESPN. pic.twitter.com/Yo0Laoy1YN
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 26, 2020
After the latest reports, the NBA released a statement announcing today’s three games have been postponed and that Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled.
Ahead of the NBA’s announcement, CNN sports correspondent Coy Wire tweeted that the news network had learned of the league’s playoff action being put on hold.
BREAKING:
CNN has learned that all of tonight’s NBA games have been postponed.— Coy Wire (@CoyWire) August 26, 2020
Blake was shot seven times in the back on Sunday by Kenosha police, who were responding to a domestic incident, reports state. According to reports, Blake, a Black man, did not have a weapon in his car and after the shooting is suffering from paralysis from the waist down.
