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Tobias Harris uses interview to call out Kentucky attorney general over Breonna Taylor's death

ryan young
Staff writer
·3 min read

Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris only wanted to talk about one thing with the media on Monday afternoon.

His focus, it appears, is entirely on achieving justice for Breonna Taylor.

Harris was asked Monday about social justice shirts that the players association and Russell Westbrook’s clothing company are making for players to wear inside the bubble, but completely ignored the question.

“Nothing against the T-shirts, but we want to make sure that [Kentucky attorney general] Daniel Cameron will arrest the cops and officers involved with Breonna Taylor’s death,” Harris said. “That’s all I’ve got to say.

“That’s going to be my answer for every question. For Daniel Cameron to step up and to do what’s right. That’s the only message that I’ve got today.”

Harris isn’t the first to use his media availability to advocate for Taylor. Denver Nuggets forward Jerami Grant did something similar last week, answering questions by only talking about her death.

“It’s great to be back playing basketball,” Grant said last week. “For me personally, and I think a lot of the players, I think it’s imperative that we focus on what’s really important in the world.

“One thing, for me, is Breonna Taylor’s killers are still roaming free. I think I just want to focus on that with these interviews.”

Taylor, a Louisville-area EMT, was shot multiple times and killed in her bed around midnight on March 13 after police executed a no-knock search warrant at her apartment during a drug investigation. Police accounts of the incident, according to The New York Times, have been disputed ever since.

Taylor’s death, along with George Floyd’s in Minneapolis police custody in May, has sparked widespread outrage, protests and social justice movements across the country.

Harris was averaging 19.4 points and 6.8 rebounds for the 76ers this season when play was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Harris, who is in his ninth season in the league, is in the first year of a five-year, $180 million deal with the organization.

The 28-year-old received plenty of praise for his move on Monday, too, including from LeBron James.

The NBA has implemented several plans to help its players speak out during the season restart at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida — including painting “Black Lives Matter” on the courts, allowing players to wear a social justice message on their jerseys and more.

Harris’ move to speak only about Taylor on Monday appears to be a rapidly growing trend across the league, one that isn’t likely to stop anytime soon.

During a short interview on Monday, Tobias Harris called on Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron to arrest the cops involved in Breonna Taylor’s death. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
During a short interview on Monday, Tobias Harris called on Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron to arrest the cops involved in Breonna Taylor’s death. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

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