ORLANDO, Fla. (NewsLink/AP)— Led by the Milwaukee Bucks, multiple NBA teams have announced their plans to boycott games in protest of the shooting of Jacob Blake.
The report, from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, only included the Bucks matchup with the Orlando Magic, but there have since been multiple reports that both the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder are planning to boycott their game as well.
According to a second report by Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Magic do not plan to accept a potential forfeit, and the game will instead be postponed.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers game slated for later tonight has yet to announce any changes. However, Lakers star LeBron James voiced his opinions on Twitter, saying, “F*** THIS MAN!!! WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT.”
The boycotts were sparked by the police shooting of Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Blake, who was shot seven times in the back during his arrest, is the latest in a long string of victims of police shootings toward African American men. The shooting has sparked large scale protests in Kenosha, and three more shootings.
The NBA has been very vocal in its protest of police shootings and its support of the Black Lives Matter movement since its return in July. Players have worn messages on the backs of jerseys, and the phrase “Black Lives Matter” has been written on the floor of the court.
