Getty Kyrie Irving stands for the National Anthem before a matchup with the Washington Wizards.
Monday night’s matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets has been postponed in the wake of Minnesota police killing yet another unarmed black man according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Timberwolves star Karl Anthony Towns and Nets’ Star Kyrie Irving were already ruled out of Monday’s game due to personal reasons. According to Woj, the game could be rescheduled to be played as early as Tuesday.
Other sporting events that have been postponed include the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues game and Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox game.
The Nets-Timberwolves could be played on Tuesday in Minneapolis, sources tell ESPN. Nets play in Philadelphia on Wednesday; Timberwolves host Bucks on Wednesday.
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Minnesota Police Murder Another Unarmed Black Man
20-year-old Daunte Wright was murdered by Minnesota police officers during a traffic stop on Sunday. Wright was shot by police while trying to re-enter his vehicle which he later crashed several blocks away from the scene after being shot.
Wright had contacted his mother just minutes before the fatal incident.
“He called me at about 1:40, said he was getting pulled over by the police,” said a woman, who identified herself as Wright’s mother, on a Facebook Live video according to USA Today.
“He said they pulled him over because he had air fresheners hanging from his rearview mirror.”
Police Chief Believes Murder Was Accidental
According to Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon, the shooting was not incidental because the officer that shot and killed Wright thought that he was firing his taser.
“It is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their taser but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet,” Gannon told reporters via USA Today.
The murder of Wright has caused protests in Minnesota and unrest around the nation as police have senselessly killed yet another unarmed black man.
Minnesota Police Have Murdered In the Past
Former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin is currently on trial for the tragic murder of George Floyd last year which also caused unrest, particularly in the NBA community as he was the best friend of NBA champion Stephen Jackson.
Kyrie was particularly invested as he was reportedly one of the biggest supporters of the NBA not resuming the season last summer inside the Disney Bubble. Irving reportedly felt that it would take the focus away from social justice issues in the wake of Floyd’s murder.
Irving also purchased a house for Floyd’s family in 2020.
Kyrie Has Been At the Forefront of Social Justice Issues
According to CNN Irving reached out to Jackson to see what it was that Floyd’s family needed at the time and they needed a house. Kyrie pulled through for them in a major way.
“He wanted to help George’s family and I let him know that a house was what they needed at that time and he made it happen in a heartbeat,” Jackson said.
According to Irving, he is just trying to do his part to support a family that has experienced much unnecessary grief.
“ I just want to keep continuing to fulfill our purpose in serving a lot of the underserved communities. Those don’t necessarily get the same attention from just others around,” Irving said to reporters via CNN.
“So just trying to do my part with service, that’s all.”
Whether the Nets and Timberwolves game will be played on Tuesday is still up in the air. However, police brutality across the nation remains a much bigger issue.
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