As he said he would, Jimmy Butler took floor for Miami in the NBA restart with no name on the back of the jersey. The referees made him switch to a jersey with a name plate before they allowed the game to start.
Butler, who revealed his intention to wear a blank jersey prior to the restart, confirmed the NBA did not allow his request.
"I'm no different than anybody else of color and want that to be my message," Butler said of his desire to play in a nameless jersey.
The Heat even tweeted out a video of how Butler's jersey looked when he first took the floor, before he was asked to change it.
Statement made. #BlackLivesMatter@JimmyButler pic.twitter.com/HKT63unwoz
— x - Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 1, 2020
The lack of words @JimmyButler hopes you'll see on the back of his jersey is a statement within itself.#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/LlIYfSFl92
— x - Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) July 14, 2020
According to Marc Stein from the LA Times, a NBA Spokesman addressed to the media Butler's desire to wear a nameless jersey.
“Displaying no name or message on the back of a player’s jersey was not an option among the social justice messages agreed upon by the Players Association and the NBA as modifications to the rules regarding uniforms.”