NBA to resume postseason on Saturday with agreed-upon commitments

The NBA and NBPA agreed to resume the postseason and work to enact several initiatives to promote social equality in the United States.

[jwplayer VZRZYNmf-z6KDnl0B]

The NBA and NBPA on Friday announced that the playoffs will resume on Saturday after the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted Game 5 against the Orlando Magic to condemn racism and police brutality following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The two sides agreed to resume the postseason with the understanding that the league together with the players will work to enact several commitments and initiatives to help raise awareness for key issues and promote social equality in the United States.

The three commitments the NBA and NBPA agreed upon:

  • The NBA and its players have agreed to immediately establish a social justice coalition with representatives from players, coaches and governors that will be focused on a broad range of issues, including increasing access to voting, promoting civic engagement and advocating for meaningful police and criminal justice reforms.
  • In every city where the league franchise owns and controls the arena property, team governors will continue to work with local elections officials to convert the facility into a voting location for the 2020 general election to allow for a safe in-person voting option for communities to vulnerabilities to COVID.
  • The league will work with the players and its network partners to create and include advertising spots in each NBA playoff game dedicated to promoting greater civic engagement in national and local elections and raising awareness around voter access and opportunity.

NBPA vice president Chris Paul said on Friday, based on conversations with other players, that putting a plan into place regarding voting was a key issue that the group wanted to address. Players want to help encourage fans to vote and help influence change in the election and the plan released on Friday focuses on those concerns.

[lawrence-related id=22002,21984,21978]

[vertical-gallery id=14282]