NBA to Consider Allowing Players to Wear Social Justice Messages On Jerseys

The president of the NBPA (National Basketball Players Association, Chris Paul, that the NBA may allow players to wear jerseys with relevant social justice messaging when the season restarts next month.

This comes at a time that many across the US are fighting for the rights of those who have been oppressed and mistreated, coming off the back of the murder of unarmed black man George Floyd at the hands of the police.

Personalized statements could be accepted by the NBA with statements such as “Black Lives Matters” and “I Can’t Breathe” helping to spread the message to a wider audience.

Talking about the matter on ESPN’s The Undefeated Show, Paul stated:

“We’re just trying to continue to shed light on the different social justice issues that guys around our league continue to talk about day in and day out,” Paul told The Undefeated. “People are saying that social justice will be off of everybody’s mind in Orlando. With these jerseys, it doesn’t go away.”

Paul has spoken to numerous players who support the idea but he insists players will not be forced to take part or pressured to do so.

Chris Paul added;

“The guys I talked to were definitely excited,” Paul said. “The reason I’m passionate and excited about it is that it gives a voice to the voiceless. It also gives guys a chance to shine a light on something they are passionate about. Otherwise, they may not have been given a chance to express themselves.”

The NBA season is still set to restart on July 30th in Orlando, this despite the marked rise in coronavirus cases, especially in Florida.