The Oklahoma City Thunder issued a statement regarding the protests that have taken place across the nation since George Floyd’s death at the hands of police on May 25.
“The tragic reality of racial injustice in America needs to remain at the forefront of the national dialogue, with the recent deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, along with countless other examples of inequality, hate and racism,” the beginning of the Thunder’s statement read.
Floyd died after a Minnesota police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes while three other officers stood by. The one who killed Floyd, Derek Chauvin, was arrested Friday.
In the days after, protests lit up the nation. The Thunder statement applauded those who “led by example during peaceful protests in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.” The statement did explicitly mention riots or looting.
The statement also did not mention police.
Below is the tweet, followed by the statement in full:
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 1, 2020
“The tragic reality of racial injustice in America needs to remain at the forefront of the national dialogue, with the recent deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, along with countless other examples of inequality, hate and racism.
The Thunder commends those who led by example during peaceful protest in Oklahoma City and Tulsa over the weekend, as they are using their voices to demand change that we all know is imperative.
While great sadness and anger resonates throughout the black community and our entire state and the rest of the nation, we join other leaders in accepting responsibility to continue efforts to expand dialogue and enact real change.
We believe that change starts by leading through love, empathy, understanding and leaning on the relationships that we have in place to continue to create a positive impact.”
Some past and present Thunder players have spoken out in recent days as well.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tweeted “My condolences to the loved ones that are now missing a family member or friend due to social injustice. My prayer and hope is that justice will be served!” on Sunday.
Nick Collison announced Friday he had donated $20,000 to the NAACP Legal Fund and posted a five-tweet statement.
Thabo Sefolosha, who was shot in the leg by police in 2015, told the Associated Press “that could have been me.”