The Los Angeles Lakers’ season is up in the air.
With afternoon games finally slowing down and multiple series wrapping up, including potentially the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers, players and fans alike were finally beginning to settle into the new normal that is the post-COVID NBA Playoffs. That is, of course, until the Milwaukee Bucks decided to shock the world and boycott their 4:00 PM ET game with the Orlando Magic.
After arriving at the arena, the Bucks reportedly spent three hours discussing a potential boycott of their game five first-round matchup with the Orlando Magic. With the Magic fully dressed and going through warm-ups, the Bucks made their decision official and announced they would not take the floor for the game.
In a statement read aloud to the media, the team announced their decision was in protest of the shooting of the unarmed black man Jacob Taylor at the hands of the Kenosha police. The team released their official statement this evening citing police brutality and lack of cooperation within the Wisconsin government to discuss these matters as the main reasons.
Full statement from the Milwaukee Bucks: pic.twitter.com/jjGEyVcCmB
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) August 26, 2020
After the NBA officially announced the game would be postponed, the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers opted to postpone their respective Thursday night games as well.
While live on the air, TNT Broadcaster and former NBA player Kenny “The Jet” Smith also walked off the set of Inside The NBA in solidarity with the players.
This chain reaction of civic duty quickly extended beyond the NBA as well. In the next few hours, three WNBA, five MLS, and three MLB games were canceled due to athletes’ decision to support the cause.
After the dust settled on a hectic and groundbreaking moment in professional sports and American history, teams held a closed meeting to discuss their next move. In addition to heartfelt statements from Portland’s CJ McCollum, the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown, and Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, our Lakers voiced their concerns with great passion as well.
The meeting allegedly concluded with a vote to end the season. Although the vast majority of teams opted to continue on, both the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers expressed their desire to cancel the season. According to one report, LeBron James urged team owners to take action towards social justice reform before leaving the meeting prematurely.
Overall, the gathering of players, coaches, and referees didn’t go smoothly. Sources told David Aldridge of The Athletic that the situation could be described as “ugly.”
Told the players’ meeting ended "ugly," per a source, with uncertainty about what will happen tomorrow. The union will be present at the special Board of Governors meeting, per a source.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) August 27, 2020
The future of the 2020 NBA Season is uncertain at this point in time. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski insists that sources viewed the vote was “more of a polling” than a definitive decision. A meeting will likely be held tomorrow to make an official decision.
With more playoff games slated for tomorrow, the future remains clouded for the NBA and the sporting world as a whole. Only time will tell.