NBA After Kenosha: Basketball Response Timeline to Protests Through Kyle Rittenhouse Trial

As the NBA grows in popularity, so do its players. In recent years, members of the basketball community have spoken out and stepped up their efforts to promote social justice.

A specific date serves as a major turning point in the NBA’s movement. On August 23, 2020, Jacob Blake, a Black man, was shot multiple times in the back by Rusten Sheskey, a white police officer, in Kenosha, Wisc. The shooting left Blake paralyzed from the waist down and sparked protests against police brutality and systemic racism in the United States.

At the same time, the NBA season was underway inside the Florida “bubble” when news broke of the shooting, leaving the entire NBA community with the daunting task of sticking together as the 2019-20 season resumes. in the context of a global pandemic also tell events happening in the real world.

Then the basketball suddenly stopped.

Feedback leads on Bucks in NBA ‘bubble’

On August 26, 2020, the Bucks were scheduled to face Magic in Game 5 of their first series. However, the Milwaukee players never hit the floor for pregnancy games, and the Orlando players returned to their locker rooms after it became clear that the Bucks had no intention of playing.

Hours after the game was supposed to be over, Bucks bodyguards Sterling Brown and George Hill released a group statement calling on the Wisconsin State Legislature to “take meaningful measures to resolve the issue.” addresses issues of police accountability, brutality, and criminal justice reform” after the Blake shooting. Milwaukee players also tried to reach Josh Kaul, the attorney general of Wisconsin, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The NBA later announced that three playoffs scheduled for that day had been postponed.

“The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association announced today that due to the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision not to take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, three games today – Bucks vs. Magic, Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers – has been postponed,” the league said in its statement. Match 5 of each series will be rescheduled. “

Milwaukee’s decision reportedly caught the rest of the NBA off guard, including the team’s main office, but ownership of the Bucks provided full support for the players.

“Although we did not know in advance, we would wholeheartedly agree with them,” Marc Lasry, Wes Edens and Jamie Dinan said in a joint statement. “The only way to bring about change is to shine a light on the racial injustices unfolding in front of us. Our players have done that and we will continue to stand with them and demand accountability and change.”

Tension meeting after boycott ‘bubble’

After the matches were postponed, multiple reports emerged that the players would hold a meeting that evening to discuss the situation of the season. Coaches also attended, but they were asked to leave at one point, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe.

Some key takeaways from that meeting:

• Players talked about voting and police reform and what team owners must do to get the season going, by Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, who also noted members of the Bucks and Raptors especially frank throughout the meeting.
• However, the Clippers and Lakers voted to boycott the season ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski clarified Those votes were part of an informal poll. Every other team voted to keep playing, according to Charania.
• According to reports, there was frustration with the way the Bucks handled the boycott and some players wanted to explain why they didn’t inform other teams of their decision. Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, however, backs the Bucks and say they don’t need to explain anything.
• Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James were “adamant” about not finishing the knockout round, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times. James is said to have left the meeting early and was followed by the rest of the Lakers and Clippers.
• Michele Roberts, chief executive officer of the NBPA, laid out the financial ramifications of the season boycott, including the possibility of owners ending the collective bargaining agreement and future shutdowns, according to Wojnarowski. .

A source told Athletic’s David Aldridge the meeting ended “ugly” and uncertain about what would happen the next day.

Continuing the NBA 2020 playoffs

The league’s board of governors placed an emergency call with NBA commissioner Adam Silver on August 27, 2020, according to multiple reports. The NBA players also had a meeting scheduled at the time. The players have finally decided to continue with the NBA 2020 playoffs.

James and other players reported change position after initially advocating a boycott of the season, saying it was in the best interests of the players’ movement to continue the season. A major source of frustration during the previous meeting “came from players not being on the same page,” by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

NBA and NBPA then announced three new initiatives after discussing the steps to take to support social justice and racial equality:

• Create a social justice coalition that includes players, coaches and owners and focuses on increasing voting access, civic and police participation and judicial reform Criminal
• Working with local officials to turn NBA arenas into voting centers for the November general election
• Play public service ads during playoff games to increase participation in elections and raise awareness about voter access

All parties have agreed to resume playoff matches on August 29, 2020.

NBA’s reaction to Jacob Blake’s verdict

On January 5, 2021, Kenosha District Attorney Michael Graveley announced that no charges would be brought against Sheskey in the Blake shooting. The Wisconsin Department of Justice said that Blake was in possession of a knife.

“Jacob Blake, while actively resisting, wields his own knife,” said Graveley (via CNN). “It is indisputable that Jacob Blake armed a knife in this encounter. … All the talk of him being unarmed contradicts even what he himself was. say many times.”

However, an attorney for the Blake family doesn’t believe Blake ever threatened the officers.

B’Ivory LaMarr said after Graveley’s announcement: “I think it’s completely bogus and I think it’s just a rationalization to try to show what was really a deliberate act. “It’s not against the law to have a knife. People have knives for many different reasons. Jacob Blake knows how to own a knife.”

Graveley added that Blake will not face charges either.

Blake’s legal team shared their disappointment with the decision, as did the NBA players upon hearing the news. James calls the results of the investigation “Blow to the heart and to the intestines.” Wesley Matthews, the Bucks who spearheaded the “bubble” boycott, described the development as “not in good shape.”

“It’s frustrating as a human being that justice is not justice. It’s tough,” Matthews said. “But it can’t knock us down the path we’re trying to go down, which is equality and simply right and wrong.”

The United States Department of Justice announced on October 8, 2021, that it will not pursue charges against Sheskey.

Kyle Rittenhouse shoots gun

After the Blake shooting, one of the protests in Kenosha turned violent. On August 25, 2020, Kyle Rittenhouse, then a 17-year-old from Antioch, Ill., shot dead two men and wounded another.

Rittenhouse, who claimed he acted in self-defence, face the following charges:

• First degree reckless murder using dangerous weapons
• The first degree recklessly endangers safety, uses dangerous weapons
• Intentional first-degree murder, using dangerous weapons
• Intentional first-degree murder, using dangerous weapons
• The first degree recklessly endangers safety, uses dangerous weapons
• Person under the age of 18 in possession of a dangerous weapon (later dismissed)
• Failure to comply with emergency orders from state or local authorities (later fired)

A jury for the Rittenhouse trial was selected on November 1, and the trial began on November 2.

LeBron James’s reaction to Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial

Rittenhouse made his stance on November 10 and told jurors he shot the men because he had to “stop the people who are attacking me. “ He also testified that he went to Kenosha to protect his own property and provide first aid.

At one point while standing in the stands, Rittenhouse broke down in tears, leading to a short break. James posted on Twitter in response to a video of the moment captured by USA Today.

“The man who knocked it down!” James tweeted. “That boy ate a few lemons before entering the court.”

Jury delivers verdict in Kyle Rittenhouse trial

Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges on November 19. The jury reached its verdict after deliberating for nearly four days.

Current and former NBA players expressed disappointment at the ruling.