NBA stars meet with Pope Francis in Vatican City to continue to advocate for social justice reforms

A delegation of NBA player held a meeting with the Pope to further discuss issues concerning social justice reform.

The NBA prides itself in being a socially proactive league in major American sports. The league allowed players to make political statements through messages on their jerseys in the NBA Bubble.

The Milwaukee Bucks, led by George Hill, released a statement in late August that they would be boycotting all NBA Playoff games. This was in the wake of the unjust shooting of Jacob Blake.

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The NBA did eventually resume but the NBPA remained active in trying to push for defunding of the police.

In light of multiple racially charged incidents within the US, the Pope himself, Pope Francis, invited select NBA players to Vatican City to discuss these social issues.

Pope Francis sits down with NBA players to discuss the social injustice in the US.

An assistant to Pope Francis contacted the NBPA in regards to their actions towards social reform. The Pope wanted to know what the players felt in the aftermath of it all and how they sought to combat the social injustices around the US.

Pope Francis and five NBA players (Marco Belinelli, Sterling Brown, Jonathan Isaac, Kyle Korver, Anthony Tolliver) will meet on Monday in Vatican City to discuss the players’ efforts around social justice.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 23, 2020

The delegation of players who visited Vatican City comprised of Jonathan Issac, Sterling Brown, Anthony Tolliver, Kyle Korver, Marco Belinelli, and the NBPA’s executive director, Michelle Roberts.

After hearing of the Pope’s keenness to learn about what the players have going on in their minds, they were quick to respond. The matters discussed in the meeting will revolve around the economic inequality and the rampant racial injustices that take place on a daily basis.

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The meeting lasted for about an hour or so, and was behind closed doors. The players will discuss what was said during the meeting in media availability in the coming days.