The Boston Celtics are not keeping quiet as protests over George Floyd’s death continue nationwide.
Jaylen Brown got the ball rolling Saturday, making a 15-hour trip down to his hometown of Atlanta to protest racial injustice after three unarmed black people — George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor — were killed in the United States over the last month.
And more Celtics players joined the cause.
Marcus Smart, Vincent Poirier, and Enes Kanter attended Sunday’s protest in Boston where thousands of activists joined forces to demand change. Kanter was seen chanting “I can’t breathe” with protesters early in the day, while Smart and Poirier linked up later in the day.
Smart didn’t hesitate to discuss his participation and thoughts in the movement, either.
“It’s not right,” Smart said Sunday, via NBC Sports Boston’s A. Sherrod Blakely. “So we’re going to have to come out here and let our voices be heard because we stand for the truth. We stand for justice. And we won’t stop until we get justice, and that’s really what this is all about.
“And I just want to say to everyone who thinks this is something more than it is, it’s not. Despite color or gender, the truth is the truth, justice is justice — and justice hasn’t been served. And people are pissed off about it. So we’re here to keep George Floyd’s name alive and keep it going in his legacy. And you know, something has to change, and we’re here to make a change.”
The #Celtics @smart_MS3 on why he's participating in the tonight's peaceful protest here in Boston. pic.twitter.com/KCiKufqonG
— A. Sherrod Blakely (@ASherrodblakely) May 31, 2020
Kanter shared a message of his own, too.
BE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY.
— Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) May 31, 2020
Well said.
