Players may have decided not to opt-out from the resumed NBA season but that doesn't mean they will be silent regarding the 'Black Lives Matter' movement.
The Toronto Raptors arrived to the 'bubble' in a bus with the statement 'Black Lives Matter' printed outside. They will use this same bus in their entire time at Orlando.
“We said, ‘Use the bubble as a platform.’ So we are starting it up. As we go defend our title, this is on our minds. Heavy in our hearts,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri told The Undefeated.
Silence is not an option. pic.twitter.com/qpn8sMo2nu
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) July 9, 2020
On the other hand, the Indiana Pacers players like Myles Turner, Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon pulled up with shirts saying 'I Can't Breathe'.
Fighting for change ✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/R3dszyOIzu
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) July 9, 2020
The NBA also announced players are allowed to replace their last names on their jerseys with messages of social injustice. So far, According to Marc J. Spears from The Undefeated, 17 out of the 350 players that participate in the resumed season, have chosen not to put social justice messages on their jerseys. Among the 285 that have chosen to do so, “equality” is the most popular one.
It's been confirmed that Jusuf Nurkic, Lonzo Ball and Rudy Gobert will put 'Equality' in the back of their jerseys while CJ McCollum chose to go with 'Education Reform'.