ORLANDO, Fl. (KRON) — The Milwaukee Bucks have decided to boycott Game 5 of the NBA playoffs in protest of the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The team decided they wouldn’t leave the locker room for the start of Game 5 against the Orlando Magic.
The Bucks never came out of their locker room, but the Magic were on the court for warm ups.
But the Magic returned to their locker rooms with a little less than four minutes before the game, ESPN’s Malika Andrews reported.
Bucks Senior Vice President Alex Lasry addressed the situation on social media.
“Some things are bigger than basketball. The stand taken today by the players and org shows that we’re fed up. Enough is enough,” he wrote on Twitter. “Change needs to happen. I’m incredibly proud of our guys and we stand 100% behind our players ready to assist and bring about real change.”
Hours after boycotting, Milwaukee’s Sterling Brown and George Hill addressed reporters with a team statement.
“We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand for the officers to be held accountable,” Hill said as his team stood behind him. “We encourage all citizens to educate themselves, take peaceful and responsible action and remember to vote on Nov. 3.”
They also called on Wisconsin lawmakers and law enforcement to hold themselves accountable just as they do while playing the game.
“Our focus today can not be on basketball,” Brown said.
Several other NBA organizations have discussed boycotting games as well.
The Oklahoma City Thunder-Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers-Los Angeles Lakers games have also been postponed, according to CNN’s Coy Wire.
Woj said all games are postponed and Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled.
Several teams across pro sports, including the San Francisco Giants and San Jose Earthquakes, postponed their games as well.
The Golden State Warriors issued a statement Wednesday evening in support of the boycotting.
“We support NBA players in taking actions designed to shed light and send a loud and clear message: Enough if enough. We are united in our stance against racial injustice,” the statement read, in part.
Wednesday also marks four years since Colin Kaepernick’s protests began.
On Aug. 26, 2016, then 49ers QB chose not to stand during the playing of the national anthem to protest police brutality and systemic racism.
Jacob Blake was shot from behind seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Police were attempting to arrest Blake during a domestic dispute, when Blake was tased.
Check back for updates as this is a developing story
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