OKC Thunder guard George Hill, a leader of the NBA protests in the bubble, spoke to The Undefeated about Jacob Blake and the U.S. Capitol riot.
In August, George Hill was one of the leaders and most outspoken figures in the NBA bubble protests after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a resident of Wisconsin, the home of Hill’s then-team, the Milwaukee Bucks.
Hill spoke about these protests from NBA players over summer and the riot inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday with The Undefeated.
On Tuesday, a Wisconsin prosecutor said he would not file charges against the officer who shot Blake in the back as Blake leaned into his car. Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley said he could not disprove the officer’s argument of self-defense and fear that Blake would stab him with a knife that was found in his car, according to the Associated Press.
On Wednesday, as the House and Senate convened to count electoral votes, a Pro-Trump protest outside the Capitol building turned into a riot as protestors clashed with the small police force at the building and many in the mob eventually got inside, prompting an evacuation of the lawmakers.
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“It ain’t crazy. It’s the norm,” George Hill, now a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, said to Marc J. Spears.
“What did you expect? Did you expect anything different? I’m not at all surprised about all of this. I knew this was going to happen.”
Spears asked Hill if he was referring to the Blake decision or the riot.
“I’m referring to all of it,” Hill answered.
Hill discussed other subjects, including about his work in the city of Milwaukee and the players’ reactions around him when he helped lead the strike of games. Spears asked if he received backlash from players around the league when the Bucks boycotted without discussing with other teams first.
“Everybody had mixed emotions. I would never throw anybody out there. I just know everybody didn’t agree on certain things and that is normal,” Hill said as part of his answer.
Hill also said he had a feeling that the Bucks would trade him after the season.
“I prepared myself that summer for me probably not being there. People thought I was probably crazy for thinking that. But I’m human. It is what it is. We’ve seen that many times,” he said.
Spears asked if he thought the trade was for off-the-court reasons. Hill answered:
“If it’s more than basketball, then they will live with that. If it wasn’t … we’ll never know. I’m sure they won’t flat-out come out and say it. So, it doesn’t really matter.”
Hill was also asked about Oklahoma City-specific areas. One such was about Julius Jones, 40, who was arrested on murder charges as a 19-year-old in 1999 and placed on death row in 2002 but has maintained innocence.
The guard said he has yet to get involved but is learning more about it.
“I’ve been talking to people who have educated me more on the situation before I jump into something and not know. We’ve been in talks,” Hill said.
He also said he plans to participate in the 100-year commemoration event of the Tulsa race massacre.
Read the full article at the Undefeated.
