Sources: Union unlikely to place names of police-brutality victims on NBA players’ jerseys
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — A plan to place the names of police-brutality victims onto players’ jerseys for the NBA’s season resumption at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, is unlikely to proceed, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The National Basketball Players Association has been in conversations with the league about ways to remember victims of police violence by placing the name of a victim on a player’s jersey to help keep the focus on the Black Lives Matter movement, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
But it is an extremely complex topic, and the union wants to exercise sensitivity in trying to push the movement forward.
Sources said there are a few concerns within the union about the plan, particularly respecting the family’s right to pick the player they would want honoring the name, and with there being so many victims of police violence, there was genuine concern about adding unnecessary pain to families if their loved ones were omitted.
Discussions about the plan are ongoing and a decision regarding the names is not official, sources said.
Players will continue to highlight individual cases of racial injustices on their social-media platforms.
The NBPA and the league are continuing talks on what more can be done in Orlando to spearhead a change within the Black community and the justice system.
The season is scheduled to resume July 30.
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