Getty The Los Angeles Lakers kneel during the National Anthem.
The Milwaukee Bucks decided to boycott Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. The rest of the teams that were scheduled to take the court for Wednesday’s slate of playoff games are following suit.
Oklahoma City and Houston will not play Game 5 and the Lakers and Blazers have decided to boycott their playoff game as well, per multiple reports.
It should be noted the games will not go down as a forfeit by any team, but rather a postponement to be played at a later date.
Bucks Protest Draws Reaction From League’s Stars
The unprecedented move by the Eastern Conference’s top team drew a mighty reaction for the rest of the NBA’s stars, including LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers. James took to Twitter to voice his support for the Bucks.
“F— THIS MAN!!!! WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT,” James wrote.
FUCK THIS MAN!!!! WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss delivered her own message on behalf of the Lakers, standing with the players.
“I was excited to see us play – and hopefully close out our series – tonight. But I stand behind our players, today and always. After more than 400 years of cruelty, racism and injustice, we all need to work together to say enough is enough. #JusticeForJacobBlake #WeHearYou.”
I was excited to see us play – and hopefully close out our series – tonight. But I stand behind our players, today and always. After more than 400 years of cruelty, racism and injustice, we all need to work together to say enough is enough. #JusticeForJacobBlake #WeHearYou
Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets also spoke out following the move from the Bucks.
WE DEMAND JUSTICE!!!
Rookie of the Year frontrunner Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies also voice his opinion on Twitter.
this shit gotta stop ‼️
Hawks guard Trae Young let his feeling be known as well, expressing his support from outside the bubble, saying: “Proud to be apart of this League… even more today ! WE WANT CHANGE.”
Proud to be apart of this League… even more today ! WE WANT CHANGE🖤🖤
Outspoken ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith had a video message following the boycott, saying: “Proud of the NBA players. I can’t say it enough. That’s what it’s all about.”
SO proud of the NBA players.
There are rumblings that the boycott could spread to other sports, specifically the MLB game scheduled for Wednesday between the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinatti Reds.
Brewers players are meeting to discuss the status of their game vs. Reds tonight, per @AdamMcCalvy
LeBron James Spoke on Jacob Blake Shooting Following Game 4
Blake was shot multiple times in the back by police as he entered an SUV in Kenosha, Wisconsin earlier this week. His three children aged three, five and eight were in the car, according to a family attorney.
James gave a powerful statement on the incident following the Lakers Game 4 victory against the Blazers.
“If you’re sitting here telling me that there was no way to subdue that gentleman, or detain him, or before the firing of guns, then you’re sitting here, you’re lying to not only me, you’re lying to every African American, every black person in the community because we see it over and over and over,” James told reporters.
“If you watch the video, there (were) multiple moments where if they wanted to they could have tackled him, they could have grabbed him. They could have done that. Why does it always have to get to a point where we see the guns firing?
“And his family is there. The kids are there. It’s in broad daylight … It’s just, quite frankly, it’s just f—– up in our community.”
Bucks Guard George Hill: ‘We’re Tired of the Killings’
The Bucks showed up to the arena for the game but did not exit the locker room. The Magic were on the court warming up, but left once if became clear the game would not be played.
“The Bucks organization is praying for the recovery of Jacob Blake, who was shot multiple times in the back by a police officer at point-blank range in Kenosha, Wisconsin [Sunday],” the Bucks said in a release on Monday. “Our hearts go out to his family and friends. We stand firmly against reoccurring issues of excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging the black community.
Our organization will continue to stand for all black lives as we demand accountability and systemic change on behalf of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sylville Smith, Ernest Lacy, Dontre Hamilton, Tony Robinson, Joel Acevedo and countless other victims. We will work to enact policy change so these incidents no longer exist.”
Bucks veteran guard George Hill gave a statement to The Undefeated following the boycott, saying: “We’re tired of the killings and the injustice.”
READ NEXT: LeBron James Honors Kobe Bryant With Pregame Look