Al Horford will not have social justice message on back of jersey

Sixers big man Al Horford won’t have a social justice message on his jersey for the NBA’s restart.

Philadelphia 76ers big man Al Horford appreciates the NBA allowing players to wear social justice messages on the back of their jerseys, but he wants to express his personal stance.

Horford told media over Zoom on Sunday that he went “back and forth” on his decision, but he will not have a message on the back of his jersey during the Orlando restart. According to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, the NBA and NBPA agreed to a list of messages recently that can be worn on jerseys. Some of the pre-approved messages include “Black Lives Matter,” “Equality,” “Vote” and “I Can’t Breathe.”

“I kind of understand and share Mike Scott’s sentiment a little bit,” Horford said. “Even though this is a great platform for us to promote things, I think that maybe having the ability to say what you would want to say or kind of leave it like that. But at the end of the day, everyone has their own — makes their own decision, whatever they feel is right, whatever they want to do.”

Scott said recently he is not in favor of the NBA giving the players a list, as it doesn’t allow them to show their opinions. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said Saturday that he will not have a message on his jersey because it “didn’t seriously resonate” with what he’s working to achieve.

Though it’s good the league has provided players this option, it’s also understandable why some are choosing not to wear a message.

The Black Lives Matter movement has grown significantly over the summer because of the unfortunate deaths of Black men and women such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. NBA players such as James, Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Russell Westbrook among several others have been key parts of the movement.

The measure currently in place can help provide awareness of systemic racism and racial injustice. But giving players the freedom to choose their message — with no pre-approved list — should have been the initiative from the start.

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