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MIAMI (AP) – With words and actions, several NBA teams showed dismay on Wednesday hours after a violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump was able to storm the U.S. Capitol. and in response to a decision by a Wisconsin prosecutor 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 were playing “with a heavy heart” in a game where most players and coaches knelt for the national anthem. In Milwaukee, the Bucks and Detroit Pistons both took turnovers on their first possessions – intentionally, all 10 players on the field kneeling.. In Phoenix, the Suns and Toronto Raptors stood in a circle and tied their arms for the American and Canadian anthems. Many other tributes have taken place around the NBA.
Earlier today on Capitol Hill, a crowd delayed Congress from certifying the November election results and paving the way for President-elect Joe Biden to be sworn in later this month.
“It’s an embarrassing and shameful day in our country,” New Orleans coach Stan Van Gundy said.
Wednesday’s events came a day after news of the decision not to press charges against the officer who shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., Last year. The Blake shootout was one of the many issues players focused on last season in the NBA reboot bubble, where issues of racial injustice and police brutality were at the center of attention..
The Heat-Celtics joint statement said, in part, “2021 is a new year, but some things haven’t changed. We play tonight’s game with a heavy heart after yesterday’s decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation’s capital are being treated differently by political leaders depending on which side of certain issues they are on.
The Celtics discussed the Blake decision earlier today, before the events on Capitol Hill unfolded. The Celtics then met as a team again after arriving at the Miami arena, discussed options, and coach Brad Stevens even called his wife to tell her he didn’t think his team would take the lead. word.
Boston ultimately chose to play, beating Miami 107-105.
“They have operated in a win-at-all-cost attitude,” Stevens said of the Trump administration. “I don’t know, our world of sport is much less important, obviously. But I’ve always thought that if you operated with a win-at-all-cost attitude, that would be a pretty unsatisfying ending. And in this situation, a shameful end. So I look forward to two weeks, because I know a lot of other people are too.
Biden will be inaugurated two weeks from Wednesday, January 20.
It was not clear whether any of the kneeling teams would be subject to penalties. The NBA had a rule for decades that players and coaches had to defend the national anthem. This rule was relaxed last year when the season picked up in the Walt Disney World bubble.
The Bucks won the first tap of their game, and instead of playing the reigning NBA MVP twice, Giannis Antetokounmpo simply held the ball as all the players knelt down. It resulted in a rollover, as did the possession of Detroit that followed when Blake Griffin held the ball and the players regained a knee. The Bucks said after the game they held the ball for 7 seconds to mirror Blake’s seven shots.
“We want to do things to help make changes, to be on the right side of the fight, to keep fighting, not to be in any way, distract or slow down or move in the wrong direction,” said the Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. “We must keep moving forward in all ways, shapes and forms.”
Meanwhile, a men’s college basketball game scheduled to be played in Washington on Wednesday night has been postponed after a curfew was imposed in the city. in response to crowd actions on Capitol Hill. The Atlantic 10 Conference game between George Washington and UMass will be postponed by the league.
Another Washington-based team Georgetown took a knee for the anthem before facing Butler in Indianapolis. “I am saddened,” Hoyas coach Patrick Ewing said in response to the events of the day.
There were 11 games on the NBA schedule for Wednesday. All have been played.
“It’s a little strange playing a game tonight, to be honest,” Charlotte coach James Borrego said before her club played in Atlanta.
Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers, who is black, spoke about the marked difference between rallies across America last summer which often included fierce skirmishes between protesters and police and what he watched at the Capitol Wednesday.
“The symbolism of the powerless Capitol assault on them, if you’re a black American it definitely affects you in a different way,” Rivers said. “It’s not a black thing. It’s an American thing. “
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AP Sports editors Steve Megargee in Milwaukee, Brett Martel in New Orleans, Howard Fendrich in Washington, Dan Gelston in Philadelphia and Charles Odum in Atlanta, and AP freelance writer John Denton in Orlando, Fla. to this report.
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