Amidst talk that some NBA players may not want to participate in the resumption of the 2019-20 season, commissioner Adam Silver seems steadfast that the show must go on.
On Monday, Silver told ESPN’s “SportsCenter” that he’s confident that the league will work out the issues that are causing some players to state that they don’t want a return to basketball this year.
Adam Silver says players could use the NBA’s platform as a way to draw attention to social issues
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— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) June 16, 2020
“For us, we feel that this is what we do: We put on NBA basketball,” Silver said. “We think that for the country, it’ll be a respite the enormous difficulties people are dealing with in their lives right now. And I also think in terms of social justice issues, it’ll be an opportunity for NBA players in the greater community to draw attention to these issues because the world’s attention will be on the NBA in Orlando, Florida if we’re able to pull this off.”
Over the weekend, a group of roughly 80 players held a conference call where they addressed concerns about returning to work. Some of these concerns had to do with the novel coronavirus pandemic, but it seemed that they were more about fighting for social justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.
The players who have said they’re hesitant to return include Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, the Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Dwight Howard and Avery Bradley.
On the other hand, LeBron James has adamantly stated that he wants a return to basketball. On Sunday, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Patrick Beverley voiced his support of James’ eagerness to return on Twitter.
The current plan is for regular season games to resume on July 30 at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.
