Feb 15, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver unveils the Kobe Bryant MVP Award at a press conference during NBA All Star Saturday Night at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
NBA commissioner Adam Silver asked all 30 teams to encourage and embrace the push for social change.
Silver issued a memo to every NBA team late Sunday as nationwide protests surrounding the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, all of whom were black and unarmed, raged for another night.
“As a league, we share the outrage and offer our sincere condolences to their families and friends,” Silver wrote in the memo. “Just as we are fighting a pandemic, which is impacting communities and people of color more than anyone else, we are being reminded that there are wounds in our country that have never healed. Racism, police brutality and racial injustice remain part of everyday life in America and cannot be ignored. At the same time, those who serve and protect our communities honorably and heroically are again left to answer for those who don’t.”
Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James and Jayson Tatum are among the chorus of NBA legends and current stars calling for public support to meet the need for social change.
“This moment also requires greater introspection from those of us, including me, who may never know the full pain and fear many of our colleagues and players experience every day,” Silver said in his memo. “We have to reach out, listen to each other and work together to be part of the solution. And as an organization, we need to do everything in our power to make a meaningful difference.”
—Field Level Media