- The Milwaukee Bucks did not go on the court for their game against the Orlando Magic.
- The Bucks are protesting the shooting of Jacob Blake, who was shot seven times in the back by the Kenosha, WI police.
- The strike soon spread to other teams, and now all of Wednesday’s games are postponed.
ORLANDO, Fla. - The rumblings began Tuesday night, as Boston Celtics players met with Toronto Raptors players in order to discuss not playing in their upcoming playoff game in protest of the shooting of Jacob Blake seven times in the back by the police in Kenosha, WI.
Wednesday, the turmoil came to a head for the NBA, as the Milwaukee Bucks refused to go on the court for their game against the Orlando Magic.
The Milwaukee Bucks still haven't come out to the court for Game 6 with the Orlando Magic and there's been some discussion within the Bucks about a boycott, sources tell @malika_andrews and me. NBA officials have gone into the Milwaukee locker room.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2020
It soon became clear that this movement looked more like a wildcat strike more than it did a simple boycott - the Bucks, without any apparent permission from the NBPA, were refusing to provide their labor in protest of the shooting of Jacob Blake.
The Bucks players made this decision in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting in Wisconsin, ultimately deciding that they wouldn't leave the locker room for the start of Game 5 against Orlando. https://t.co/COJ6E0aJLj
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2020
The Magic, in turn, left the court and refused to accept any forfeit by the Bucks, who were, at this point, in the locker room attempting to contact the Attorney General of the state of Wisconsin.
Bucks players are in locker room attempting to reach the attorney general of Wisconsin, Josh Kaul, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Magic players are leaving the arena soon -- not accepting the Bucks‘ forfeit.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 26, 2020
The hits kept coming.
The Lakers have a team meeting soon to discuss the possbility of boycotting Game 5 tonight against Portland, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2020
Advertising Disclosure
USAOnlineSportsbooks.com provides you with the most current information regarding sports betting and fantasy with the help of commissions we receive from links you may click on our site.
Eventually, it became clear that the NBA players, whether by organized action or due to the spur of the moment inspiration from the Bucks, were engaging in a strike.
All games are postponed, and Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled, NBA says.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2020
The league itself was blindsided by this, according to Adrian Wojnarowski, although it is not wholly unsurprising in the context of what the league has done - there’s a bit of history here with priorities from the league and the players being in different places with regards to social justice.
Some factions of players, entering the bubble, were worried that the NBA would distract from the protests ongoing in the country following the death of George Floyd after a police officer put a knee on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
Kyrie Irving, notably, encouraged players to consider sitting the season out in protest.
The NBA’s most visible response appears to have been to paint Black Lives Matter on the court, and to allow the players to wear pre-approved social justice slogans on their jerseys.
It seems apparent that the two sides took the issue at differing levels of seriousness - to the players, this was a question that was about the lives of their communities, and to the league, it was a question of what they had to do to get the players on the floor.
Now, those tensions have bubbled up, and the season is once again under threat, although this time, not from COVID-19.
Emotions are raw, players were already worn out of bubble environment prior to the Jacob Blake shooting and sources say discussions within teams are ongoing about postponing tomorrow's three games too -- and beyond. "The season is in jeopardy," one vet player here tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 26, 2020
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, there will be a meeting at 8:00 p.m. in the NBA Bubble, to which all players are invited. That meeting could determine the fate of this NBA season.
The strike has even begun to spread to other sports, including MLB, where the Reds and Brewers game was canceled, and more may be on the horizon.
Maxwell joined the USAOnlineSportsbooks team in 2019. He focuses on creating sports betting content that informs and educates. He focuses on the NBA, the NFL, College Football and Basketball, and whatever else comes across his desk.
