Things aren’t clear for the Los Angeles Lakers right now. After Friday’s NBA players’ group call, we learned that several Lakers aren’t convinced that resuming the 2019/20 season is the best move to make. This could be a problem for the team, but according to one player, there is nothing to worry about since there is still time to figure things out.
“[There’s] no divide,” one Lakers player told ESPN.
“Still have some time to figure things out as a league and as a team,” another Lakers player told ESPN.
Dwight Howard recently issued a statement where he described his feelings about the upcoming NBA return, stating that there were other priorities to focus on right now. D-12 shared his thoughts on the racial injustices happening in the US, which should be the only thing everybody should care about at this moment.
“I agree with Kyrie,” the statement read. “Basketball, or entertainment period, isn’t needed at this moment, and will only be a distraction. Sure it might not distract us the players, but we have resources at hand [the] majority of our community don’t have. And the smallest distraction for them, can start a trickle-down effect that may never stop.
“Especially with the way the climate is now. I would love nothing more than to win my very first NBA championship. But the unity of my people would be an even better championship, that’s just too beautiful to pass up.
“What better time than now for us to be focusing on our families? This is a rare opportunity that, I believe, we as a community should be taking full advantage of. When have we ever had this amount of time to sit and be with our families? This is where our unity starts. At home! With family!!
“European colonization stripped us of our rich history and we have yet to sit down and figure us out. The less distractions, the more we can put into action into rediscovering ourselves. Nations come out of families. Black/African-American is not a nation or nationality. It’s time our families become their own nations. No basketball ’til we get things resolved.”
Avery Bradley is the other player who is against the return of the league. He was one of the leading voices during Friday’s call alongside Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets.
On the other hand, LeBron James is one of the players who is convinced the league can still help the Black Lives Matter movement even if the campaign is restarted, but not everyone is sold on that idea. The Lakers have work to do to make a final decision about what’s best for them, the league and American society.
There is still time until the league decides what to do with the remainder of the season, but the voices talking against the return of the campaign are louder every day.
