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Terence Davis and the Toronto Raptors on Sunday kicked off their second-round playoff matchup against the Boston Celtics and the rookie made a statement prior to the start of the series.
Davis entered the arena at the Wide World of Sports Complex wearing a shirt that called for the arrest of the police officers that killed Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky. Taylor, an unarmed 26-year-old Black woman, was shot and killed in her home by police officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove in March.
The police officers have not been charged in the killing of Taylor and only Hankison was terminated from the Louisville Metro Police Department in June. On Sunday, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said his office received the ballistics report from the shooting and added that it was a critical piece to the investigation.
Athletes from the NBA and WNBA have used their platform this season to draw attention to the killing of Taylor. Davis previously used a media session with reporters to call for the arrests of the police officers involved in the shooting, saying he and his teammates stand united in raising awareness for social injustice.
🗣🗣🗣 pic.twitter.com/DMeKn0f82L
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) August 30, 2020
Players in the NBA mandated that the NBA and NBPA work together to help influence change in the United States after the Milwaukee Bucks protested playing Game 5 against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. The Bucks opted against playing following the shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed 29-year-old Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The NBA and the players agreed to several conditions of resuming the season, including turning each NBA arena into a polling place in the general election. The two sides also created a coalition to help increase access to voting, promoting civic engagement and advocating for meaningful police and criminal justice reform.
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