NBA Will Allow Players to Wear "Black Lives Matter" & Other Messages on Jerseys
With the season set to return on July 30, the NBA is putting new measures in place to combat racial injustice. Now players will be able to choose whether to display a social justice message on their jersey.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association came to the agreement on Friday, agreeing that players can choose to wear these statements instead of their names on the backs of their jerseys for the first four days of the league’s reboot, ESPN reports.
After the first four nights, a player can then go back to their last name. However, if they choose to continue showing a social message, their name would go below the number.
The list of approved messages includes, “Black Lives Matter,” “I Can’t Breathe,” “Vote,” “Justice,” “Stand Up,” “Listen,” “Listen to Us,” “Say Their Names,” “Peace,” “How Many More,” “Education Reform,” “Liberation,” “Equality,” “Freedom,” “Enough,” Si Se Puede,” “Say Her Name,” “Mentor,” “I Am A Man,” “Speak Up,” “Ally,” “Anti-Racist,” “Justice Now,” “Power to the People,” “See Us,” “Hear Us,” “Respect Us,” “Love Us,” and “Group Economics.”
The NBA also will have “Black Lives Matter” printed on the courts in prominent locations. These physical displays of solidarity are just the beginning. Lakers coach Frank Vogel said coaches have “discussed ways that we can wear things visually, but also ways we can be very vocal and use our platform to help this movement.”
The personalized statements are part of a long list of social justice messages the players plan to deliver over the course of the season, which will restart in Orlando, Florida later this month.