The NBA and NBPA did not hold any formal discussions about postponing games Wednesday night following the riots in Washington D.C., at least a couple of players were in favor of doing so though.
Clippers stars Paul George and Marcus Morris revealed their support for the idea after Los Angeles’ win over the Golden State Warriors. But as George noted, there was some upside to playing, though he still wished they hadn’t.
“I would have been all for the league to shut down,” Geroge told reporters during his postgame video press conference, via ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “I think this is something that definitely should have been addressed but there’s a fine line because it does give people some positivity to watch games … but I definitely would have been all for (the NBA) shutting down.”
Several teams found creative ways to speak out against Wednesday’s events without postponing their games.
The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, for instance, walked off the court in unison prior to the game, released a statement condemning the events and most players knelt during the national anthem. The Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons took a knee as a group after the opening tip.
But Morris thought the league could have done more in wake of Wednesday’s unprecedented events.
“I think it happened so fast that it was one of those things where we just made a decision as a whole just to take a knee,” Morris said, via NBC Sports. “But my personal opinion, that wasn’t enough. I don’t think we should have even played. But we did, and we came together, and we thought taking a knee was appropriate.
“… I think guys were already in the mode of playing. But if it was my decision, I wouldn’t have.”
