The NBA & NBPA agree on the list of social justice messages on the back of players’ jerseys for the restart inside the Bubble in Orlando on 30th July.
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The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association reportedly reached an agreement Friday on a list of approved social justice messages that players can use on their jerseys when the 2019-20 season resumes July 30 amid the coronavirus pandemic a source told ESPN’s The Undefeated.
NBA Bubble Plan: Why social justice messages?
This following the unrest caused by the recent killing of George Floyd which gave rise to the Black Lives Matter campaign.
NBA players have shown a lot of support for that campaign. It has brought out many more issues of social injustice around the world.
By writing social justice statements on the back of NBA jerseys it gives a platform to make people more aware of the unjust practices that take place, that many people are unaware of.
Racism, gender inequality, economic and political inequalities are some examples of such unjust practices.
With the NBA having confirmed this new move to help athletes send out a social message, they have now released a list of messages that the players will be allowed to sport on their backs.
Also Read: Why is ‘Boycott NBA’ and ‘Boycott NFL’ trending on Twitter?
Names approved by the NBA:-
The @NBA & @NBPA have come to an agreement on the social justice messages that can be used on the back of jerseys during the NBA re-start in Orlando starting July 30, sources told @TheUndefeated. The list of approved messages and more here in @ESPN: https://t.co/Jtf9i4P6kb
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 3, 2020
The list of the approved suggested social messages, per the source, for the back of the NBA jerseys: Black Lives Matter; Say Their Names; Vote; I Can’t Breathe; Justice; Peace; Equality; Freedom; Enough; Power to the People; Justice Now; Say Her Name; Sí Se Puede (Yes We Can); Liberation; See Us; Hear Us; Respect Us; Love Us; Listen; Listen to Us; Stand Up; Ally; Anti-Racist; I Am A Man; Speak Up; How Many More; Group Economics; Education Reform; and Mentor.
The players will have to submit two options regarding the message they want to have on their backs. They can also opt out of the exercise and have their own name on the back of their jersey.
According to ESPN, the messages can be displayed only for the 1st 4 days of the NBA bubble. Post the 4- day period, players can continue to have the ‘social message’ on their jerseys, along with their last name.
The NBA players will refrain from using names of people who have died due to police brutality. This would be done so as to not intrude into the privacy of the families that have been affected.
Also Read: ‘Mamba Out’ to relive Kobe’s final title-winning season with the Lakers
The NBA restarts on 30th July inside the ‘Bubble’ in Orlando.
