Upon George Floyd’s tragic passing last year, the NBA community was among the larger crowd of people demanding justice and calling for change.
And while the issues of police brutality and systematic racism continue to be a burden for people all around the country, the conviction of Derek Chauvin, the officer involved with Floyd’s death, has brought some degree of closure for many.
Following the news he was being charged with murder, the same basketball stars who demanded justice in 2020 started celebrating the accountability handed down by the law.
Justice and Accountability! Things I never thought I would see. There’s much more work to do, but this is an amazing start working toward the reform this country NEEDS!
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) April 20, 2021
Progress..
— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) April 20, 2021
God is good all the time…..✊🏾🙏🏾
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) April 20, 2021
🙏🏽🙏🏽.. Long Overdue.
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) April 20, 2021
Accountability is now trending 📈
— Kevin Love (@kevinlove) April 20, 2021
ACCOUNTABILITY
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 20, 2021
Justice ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿
— Andre Drummond (@AndreDrummond) April 20, 2021
The NBPA also issued the following statement:
“George Floyd’s murder was a flashpoint for how we look at race and justice in our country, and we are pleased that justice appears to have been served. But we also recognize that there is much work to be done, and the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association, together with our newly-formed Social Justice Coalition, will redouble our efforts to advocate for meaningful change in the areas of criminal justice and policing.”
Obviously, the whole issue is controversial, and there are people who feel as though Chauvin should not have been charged with murder.
Nevertheless, the verdict signaled the end of one long and hard-fought battle that involved many of our favorite stars. They appreciate this victory, of course, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t expect more involvement in similar situations in the future.
There is still work to be done, after all.
