Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is joining teammates LeBron James and Anthony Davis in his move to not wear a social justice message on the back of his jersey during the Orlando restart.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported the news on Kuzma, and Kuzma said he doesn’t believe he has to “prove his activism” by having a message.
He referenced the work he’s done in his hometown of Flint, Michigan, and he also spoke on the limitations of the pre-approved messages, saying he “didn’t like how it wasn’t creative.”
According to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, the list consists of 29 messages, including “Black Lives Matter,” “Equality” and “Vote” among others.
Kyle Kuzma says he will have his last name on his jersey in ORL. He says he doesn’t feel the need to do it to prove his activism, citing his community efforts in Flint, Mich. and also “didn’t like how it wasn’t creative.” He would have considered a personal message, if allowed
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 22, 2020
James recently said he wouldn’t wear a message. He spoke on why he wanted to have his own personal message for the jersey instead of picking from a list. Davis said he’d wear his last name because he wants to “represent his family.”
Philadelphia 76ers players Al Horford and Mike Scott have voiced similar opinions to James on the jersey messages. Horford said he wouldn’t wear a message during the bubble, citing how he wanted a say on what his message would be. Scott said the league gave out a “bad list” and didn’t provide players with an opportunity to show their opinions.
The players wanting agency over their messages is understandable, especially considering the Orlando bubble is a place where they want to speak their minds to the fullest extent on fixing systemic racism and creating social justice.
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