For better or worse in the U.S., there are many who reflexively see current or former professional athletes talk about a political or sensitive subject and respond with “stick to sports,” or “stay in your lane.” The NBA and Butler obviously risked irking or alienating those people with this roundtable series. “We all know that we’re more than that,” Butler said, “and we were more than that before we introduced our talents to the world to become professional athletes. I’ve been retired for quite some time. And my late, great brother Kobe Bryant always taught me that the second act will be much larger and bigger than your first.”