Jayson Tatum wears ‘8:46’ facemask in memory of George Floyd’s killing

Boston Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum wore a facemask honoring the memory of George Floyd to the Miami Heat postgame presser.

Boston Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum appeared at the postgame presser after the loss to the Miami Heat wearing a facemask with what might have seemed like a cryptic reference to those not aware of the intricacies of the incident of police brutality that sparked historic civil rights protests rocking the nation in May and July.

When asked the meaning of the black and white face covering he was sporting with the number “8:46” on it, the Duke product explained the meaning behind it, and why he chose to wear it to the presser.

“To raise awareness on why we’re here, using our platform,” he explained, sporting it above a black tee-shirt with the initials “GF” emblazoned on it.

The initials stand for George Floyd, the name of the man killed in that incident of police brutality.

The mention of “using his platform” was a reference to what he, several teammates and much of the NBA have been doing with the restart in order to keep the momentum from those civil rights protests moving forward.

“Obviously we know that George Floyd was murdered;” offered Tatum, referring to the man killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota that sparked those protests. “He was kneeled on for eight minutes and 46 seconds.”

The mask, then, refers to the horrific incident that was the impetus behind the NBA and National Basketball Players Association’s agreement to help provide and amplify platforms to fight for racial justice.

Made as a condition of the Disney restart, Tatum was making an explicit reference to the length of time Floyd’s neck was knelt on by the officer before he died.

He chose this mask so that Floyd’s killing — and the need for the dismantling of the structures of systemic racism that led to it — do not fade from our memory.

Let’s make sure they do not.

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