MIAMI (AP) – With words and actions, several NBA teams showed dismay Wednesday hours after a violent crowd loyal to President Donald Trump could storm the U.S. Capitol and in response to a Wisconsin prosecutor’s decision not to charge a police officer who shot a black man last year.
In Miami, the Heat and Boston Celtics released a joint statement saying they played “with a heavy heart” in a game where most players and coaches knelt for the national anthem. In Milwaukee, the Bucks and Detroit Pistons won their first possessions, intentionally, with all 10 players on the court kneeling.. In Phoenix, the Suns and Toronto Raptors lined up and tied guns to American and Canadian anthems. Many other tributes took place around the NBA.
Earlier in the day at the Capitol, a crowd delayed Congress to certify the results of the November election and pave the way for President-elect Joe Biden to be sworn in later this month.
“It’s a shameful and embarrassing day in our country,” said New Orleans coach Stan Van Gundy.
Wednesday’s events came a day after the decision not to file charges against the agent who shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year. Blake’s shooting was one of many issues that players focused on last season in the NBA reboot bubble, where issues of racial injustice and police brutality were a constant focus..
The Heat-Celtics joint statement said, in part: “2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed. We play tonight’s match with a heavy heart after yesterday’s decision in Kenosha and knowing that the protesters in our nation’s capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on which side of certain issues they are dealing with. “.
The Celtics discussed Blake’s decision earlier in the day, before the Capitol events unfolded. The Celtics reunited as a team after arriving in the Miami arena, discussed options and coach Brad Stevens even called his wife to tell her he didn’t think his team take the floor.
Boston eventually opted to play, beating Miami 107-105.
“They’ve operated with a win-win attitude at all costs,” Stevens said of the Trump administration. “I don’t know, our sports world is much less important, obviously. But I’ve always thought that if you work with an attitude of winning at all costs, it will be a pretty unsatisfactory end. And in this situation, a shameful end. So I’m looking forward to two weeks, because I know there are a lot of other people out there. “
Biden will open two weeks from Wednesday, January 20th.
It was unclear if any of the teams that would kneel would be sanctioned. The NBA had a rule for decades that players and coaches had to defend the national anthem. That rule relaxed last year when the season resumed at the Walt Disney World bubble.
The Bucks won the first touchdown of their game, and instead of playing a play twice, NBA Vice President Giannis Antetokounmpo simply held the ball while all players knelt. This resulted in a turnover, as did Detroit’s subsequent possession when Blake Griffin held the ball and the players got back on their knees. The Bucks said after the game they held the ball for 7 seconds to reflect the seven times Blake fired.
“We want to do things to help make changes, be on the right side of the fight, keep fighting, not be in any way, be distracted or downsized or move in the wrong direction,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. . “We have to keep moving forward in all shapes, forms and forms.”
Meanwhile, a men’s college basketball game was postponed in Washington on Wednesday night after a curfew in the city in response to the actions of the crowd at the Capitol. The Atlantic 10 Conference match between George Washington and UMass will be rescheduled for the league.
Another Washington-based team, Georgetown, got on its knees for the anthem before facing Butler in Indianapolis. “I’m saddened,” Hoyas coach Patrick Ewing said in response to the day’s events.
There were 11 games on Wednesday’s NBA schedule. They all played.
“It feels a little weird playing a game tonight, to be honest,” Charlotte coach James Borrego said before his club played in Atlanta.
Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers, who is black, spoke of the stark difference between rallies across America last summer that often included violent skirmishes between protesters and police and what he saw Wednesday at the Capitol.
“The symbolism of storming the Capitol without forcing them, if you’re a black American, definitely touches you in a different way,” Rivers said. “It simply came to our notice then. That’s an American thing. “
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AP Sports writers Steve Megargee in Milwaukee, Brett Martel in New Orleans, Howard Fendrich in Washington, Dan Gelston in Philadelphia and Charles Odum in Atlanta and AP freelancer John Denton in Orlando, Florida, contributed to this report.
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