Russell Westbrook gives first look at new social justice t-shirts NBA players can wear

These t-shirts don’t mince words.

In a nod to the social justice protests taking place across the country, the NBA agreed earlier this month to take the messages of Black empowerment from the streets to the courts.

To let players express themselves, and help keep the focus on larger sociopolitical issues, the NBA and NBPA agreed to allow game jerseys to be worn with social justice messaging on the backs, in lieu of a players’ last name.

While that sounds like a nice enough compromise, the list of 29 approved messages offer a softer political tone than some NBA players would like, focusing more on neutral messaging like Black Lives Matter; Say Their Names; Vote; I Can’t Breathe; Justice; Peace; Equality; Freedom; Enough; Power to the People; Justice Now and more.

Several NBA players, including LeBron James and Anthony Davis, declined to wear the social justice messaging because they felt it didn’t address the more political points they wanted to make. To bridge that gap, the NBPA and Russell Westbrook’s clothing line Honor the Gift decided to make a series of t-shirts that get more to the point.

On Monday, Westbrook tweeted out a first look at the designs.

“Honor the Gift is extremely proud to collaborate with the NBPA to create a collection of shirts that allow us players to shed light on social injustice, and honor the victims and families of those who continue to inspire us,” Westbrook wrote in a tweet.

The t-shirts, which presumably can be worn during warm-ups (maybe?), include slogans such as Systemic Racism, Police Reform, I Can’t Breathe, No Justice No Peace, Break the Cycle, Strange Fruit, By Any Means, Power to the People, Equality, and Am I Next?

The collection also includes a t-shirt with the words “We Honor” across the front, with the names of Black people who have recently lost their lives to police violence.

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