Milwaukee Bucks: NBA players reportedly vote to continue season, resume playoffs
By Adam McGee
Following the Milwaukee Bucks’ protest on Wednesday, NBA players have reportedly voted to resume the playoffs, pending further action.
The Milwaukee Bucks‘ decision to refuse to play their scheduled Game 5 against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday sent shockwaves around the sporting world, and may yet influence legislators in the fight for real change and an end to racial inequality and police brutality.
With the Bucks sitting out to protest Jacob Blake’s shooting, the rest of the NBA’s Wednesday and Thursday schedule were also subsequently postponed. That led to reportedly heated conversations among players on Wednesday night, with the Lakers and Clippers said to be intent on sitting out the remainder of the season.
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Following a second scheduled meeting on Thursday morning, reports from the NBA bubble in Orlando now suggest that the players have voted to continue the season and resume the playoffs, though.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the current aim is for games to resume on Friday.
Of course, that is contingent on further meetings that are scheduled for later on Thursday, and the players receiving a commitment for real action and new measures to allow them to continue to work for change while in situ at Walt Disney World Resort.
Sources: NBA players in meeting today agreed to continue playing this postseason — but want to find new and improved ways to make social justice statements. Players expect games to resume this weekend.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 27, 2020
According to Wojnarowski, a return to play is expected by the weekend at the latest, although players will join the owners in a meeting to finalize plans later today.
When the schedule is set for play to pick back up again, the Bucks and Magic will once again be preparing for a Game 5 showdown. For Milwaukee, that will represent the prospect of a series-closing win and the chance to move on to the second round.
Next. Bucks provide statements following Game 5 boycott. dark
Having said that, in light of the past 24 hours, it’s jarring to again think of the playoffs in such simplistic terms, and within the much more familiar context of basketball as sport. In its own right, that speaks to the impact of the Bucks’ walkout, and hopefully can point to that moment having a much longer lasting legacy too.