Unity.
That’s the message the Boston Celtics sent Tuesday night before their preseason opener against the Philadelphia 76ers at Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass.
Each and every Celtics coach and player locked armsĀ as a sign of unity during the singing of the national anthem in a nod to the protest Colin Kaepernick started.
āWeāve had a lot of sit-down discussions about it,ā Brad StevensĀ told reporters before the game, via Celtics.com. āWeāve had a lot of individual discussions. Weāve had three or four meetings with the team after practices; sometimes just the players, sometimes just us, sometimes people that weāve invited in from the outside to spend time with our guys. Our guys have been incredibly thoughtful.ā
StevensĀ added: āLike what Iāve seen across the NBA early on,Ā I think our guys are really focused on promoting positive(ity), unity, togetherness, progress and all of those types of things.Ā I think theyāre very much into what Iāve seen from teams thus far, in talking about togetherness and continued progress.ā
The team also posted a video titled “#Unity” after the anthem was over.
The Celtics chose to lock hands just like the 1960-61 Celtics did during the Civil Rights Movement, CSNNE’s Abby Chin reported during the broadcast.
Thumbnail photo viaĀ Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images