Players from two NBA teams knelt on Wednesday night during the national anthem after a day of civil unrest in Washington shook the country and prosecutors Kenosha’s decision not to bring charges against police officers involved in Jacob Blake’s shooting.
Most players from the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics chose to kneel in solidarity before facing each other.
Heat and Celtics players kneel during the national anthem
(via @IraHeatBeat)pic.twitter.com/zuwsJNKmQz
– Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 7, 2021
In a joint statement, the two teams expressed their initial hesitation to play the game given the events of the day, but eventually decided to do so “to try to bring joy to people’s lives.”
– Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 7, 2021
“We are playing tonight’s game with a heavy heart after yesterday’s decision in Kenosha and knowing that protesters in our nation’s capital are treated differently by political leaders, depending on which side of certain issues they are in,” the statement said.
“The drastic difference between the way the protesters were treated last spring and summer and the encouragement given to today’s protesters who acted illegally only shows how much work we have to do.”
The two teams vowed to continue to be vocal in what they perceive as wrong actions.
“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 we can to work for a more equal and just America.”