Players from two NBA teams knelt down during the national anthem on Wednesday night after a day of civil unrest in Washington rocked the country and a decision by Kenosha prosecutors not to file charges against police officers involved in the shooting of Jacob Blake.
Most players on the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics preferred to take a knee in solidarity before taking on each other.
Heat and Celtics players kneel during national anthem
(via @IraHeatBeat)pic.twitter.com/zuwsJNKmQz
– Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) 7 January 2021
In a joint statement, the two teams expressed their initial reluctance to play in the match given the events of the day, but eventually decided to do so “to try to bring joy to people’s lives.”
– Boston Celtics (@celtics) 7 January 2021
“We are playing tonight’s match with a heavy heart after yesterday’s decision in Kenosha, and the knowledge that protesters in our country’s capital are treated differently by political leaders, depending on which side of certain issues they have,” the statement read. .
“The drastic difference between the way protesters were treated this past spring and summer, and the encouragement given to today’s protesters who acted illegally, just shows how much more work we need to do.”
The two teams have vowed to continue voting on what they consider to be wrongdoing.
“We must not forget the injustices in our society, and we will continue to use our voices and our platform to highlight these issues and do everything in our power to work for a more equal and just America.”