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The NBA and NBPA on Wednesday announced that three playoff games have been postponed after the Milwaukee Bucks opted to boycott Game 5 against the Orlando Magic to condemn social injustice following the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The situation began to unfold when the Bucks did not take the court prior to the start of the game and refused to leave the locker room. The Magic took the court as normal for their pre-game warmups but eventually left when it became apparent the Bucks were not playing.
After the Magic left the court, the referees also departed the area and the game balls and other game-related accessories were removed. Players from the Magic were eventually seen leaving the AdventHealth Arena and the game was officially postponed.
Two additional Game 5s scheduled to begin later on Wednesday — between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers — were also postponed. The three games are expected to be rescheduled.
“Today we stand united with the NBA Office, the National Basketball Players Association, the Milwaukee Bucks and the rest of the league condemning bigotry, racial injustice and the unwarranted use of violence by police against people of color,” the Magic said in a statement.
Blake was shot on Sunday at least seven times in the back by police officers, who were on scene responding to a domestic dispute and saw Blake leaning into an SUV. He is in stable condition, paralyzed from the waist down, according to his father and Ben Crump, the family’s attorney.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Bucks players inside of the locker room were on a conference call with Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes to discuss potential actions against the officers involved in the shooting.
Players on the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors on Tuesday began discussing the possibility of boycotting Game 1 of their second-round playoff series on Thursday following the shooting of Blake. Raptors guard Fred VanVleet on Tuesday discussed the possibility not playing.
What are we willing to give up? Do we actually give a (expletive) about what’s going on? Or is it just cool to wear BLM on the backdrop or wear a T-shirt? What does that really mean? Is it really doing anything? I don’t have the answers for you today.
The decision by the Bucks to boycott Game 5 on Wednesday was met with universal praise by players. From LeBron James to Donovan Mitchell, players from around the league stood with the Bucks in their decision to sit out.
The league did not address whether or not the playoff games on Thursday would take place as scheduled. The players at the Walt Disney World Resort are expected to meet on Wednesday night to discuss how they plan to move forward.
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