The NBA return saw all of the coaches and players for the New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers kneel during the national anthem.
All the players wore “Black Lives Matter” shirts and kneeled near the “Black Lives Matter” logo that will be seen on the court for the duration of the Orlando games.
“I respect our teams’ unified act of peaceful protest for social justice and under these unique circumstances will not enforce our long-standing rule requiring standing during the playing of our national anthem,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement to ESPN.
LeBron James was one of the players who raised his fist during the protest. “If you’re going to look at any of my side motions or whatever the case may be, social media, I’ve been putting it out as well. Just having that commitment to the Black community, having my fists up in the air,” James said.
You can see the moments below.
The Pelicans & Jazz kneel for the national anthem ahead of the #NBA restart.
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) July 30, 2020@NBAonTNT
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