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Eric WoodyardESPN
On Wednesday night, inside a fanless Fiserv Forum, it seemed to be the norm, as members of the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks reached the center court for a normal outing.
However, once the acting MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, won the Bucks ’first possession, both teams, including the bench coaches, got on their knees. They repeated the act once the Pistons also got the ball.
The peaceful act came a day after prosecutors in Kenosha, Wisconsin, decided not to file criminal charges against police officers during the August shooting of Jacob Blake. Nearly five months earlier, the Bucks boycotted Game 5 of their first-round clash against the Orlando Magic on Aug. 26 from inside the Orlando, Florida bubble in response to Blake’s shooting. The boycott was the start of a three-day stint in the NBA.
The Bucks players were in constant contact during a group chat on Tuesday, expressing their frustrations and concerns about the sentence. There were frequent conversations about what they wanted to do before deciding on the kneeling gesture.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said he also spoke with some team members after Monday’s 125-115 victory over the Pistons, in anticipation of Tuesday’s ruling.
“Hopefully we all listen and we all learn and we all grow,” Budenholzer said. “But without a doubt, myself as a coach and myself working with a lot of amazing people, especially young African Americans, because these things are very important and they have had their own personal experiences that they have shared individually or collectively with our group, you can’t stop sitting, listening and growing, empathizing. You know you’ll probably never be able to really understand what a lot of people have gone through, but myself, we’re trying to do it better. “
Blake, who is black, was shot seven times by Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey, who is white, on August 23rd. Blake was paralyzed. The shooting, which took place in front of Blake’s three children and was captured on video, sparked large protests in Kenosha, with more than 250 people arrested during several days of riots.
The other two police officers at the scene – Brittany Meronek and Vincent Arenas – will also not face charges, according to Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley.
Bucks center Brook Lopez, speaking before Wednesday’s game, described a sense of “helplessness” after learning of the sentence.
“It’s obviously disappointing. Very discouraging. I have a sense of personal helplessness. I can’t imagine being in Jacob Blake’s position or his family’s position or the people who have been or will be in similar situations where he was, at the time, “Lopez said, adding that he believes the Bucks’ actions were not in vain. “Just that feeling of helplessness. Is that how you’re doing right now?
“To me, it seems to me the reaction of the officer, if he was trained to shoot until there was no action or no movement or whatever. Throw someone seven times, if you can have a knife or whatever it is and you put yourself in a car, it seems so excessive in comparison. Again, I can’t help but feel helpless.