When the NBA went on hiatus due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, some of the league’s international players elected to go back to their home countries. The Nets’ Rodions Kurucs was among those to do so. Dzanan Musa, however, was not.
Instead of heading back to Bosnia, Musa remained in Brooklyn throughout the pandemic.
The Nets wing decided to take this time to improve his game and prepare himself for whenever play resumed, he told reporters on a Zoom call on Monday.
With the Nets roster depleted, Musa could earn minutes when the NBA restarts later in July. And he wants the team to know he’s prepared for whatever is required of him, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post:
I tried to gain weight, trying to get stronger at home. Then when the practice facility opened I was first in the gym on trying to get [Nets head coach] Jacque [Vaughn’s] attention to get him to know that I’m ready for whatever.
But that’s not all Musa has done during the hiatus.
He’s learned a lot about what else has gone on in the United States amidst the pandemic — specifically about the Black Lives Matter movement. Musa told reporters Garrett Temple has informed him about the social justice issues, adding:
To see that brutality happen it hurts my heart a lot. I’m with Black Lives Matter all day. I’m going to change my jersey in Orlando to be Equality & Peace, some kind of message to that policy.