Kyrie Irving has become the leading voice for a faction of NBA players who don’t believe the NBA should make its return in July.
His and other player’s reasons are laid bare here. They’re concerned about injury risk, potentially contracting COVID-19 and, on top of that, don’t want the NBA to become a distraction from all of the protests erupting across the country after the killing of George Floyd.
Irving reportedly said he’d be willing to give up his entire career if it means pushing forward social reform.
But Austin Rivers doesn’t believe it has to be that way. In a comment on Instagram, he voiced his disagreement with Irving’s comments and said he was still trying to find the correlation between social justice and the NBA’s restart.
Austin Rivers on Kyrie Irving, restarting the season: "I love Kyrie's passion towards helping this movement…I'm with it…but in the right way & not at the cost of the whole NBA & players careers. We can do both. We can play & we can help change the way black lives are lived." pic.twitter.com/GMmyVz9nEF
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) June 13, 2020
“Us coming back would be putting money in all our (NBA players) pockets. With this money you could help out even more people and continue to give more importantly your time and energy towards the [Black Lives Matter] movement. Which I’m 100% on board with.”
Rivers is making fair points here. The NBA’s return could lend players a platform while also keeping them paid.
It also means not having to completely tear up the league’s collective bargaining agreement, which would be catastrophic for some of the NBA’s middle class. Some players do need that money — everyone isn’t a max guy like Kyrie Irving.
These are all points to consider. That’s why it’s good the players are having these discussions now two months before the league starts back up. There’s plenty of time to find solutions down the road.
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