NBA reacts after pro-Trump mob storms Capitol building

On an unprecedented day in the United States, members of the basketball world joined so many others in trying to wrap their minds around the events that occurred on Wednesday in Washington D.C., where earlier in the day, a mob stormed the Capitol building. The events were widely characterized as a coup attempt to prevent the transfer of power from the Donald Trump administration to President-elect Joe Biden.

The most unsettling part about it, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said, was that none of his players expressed astonishment.

“The saddest thing for me today, just talking to our players individually is that they’re not shocked,” Lue said, via Zoom, shortly before his team faced the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco. “And that’s messed up. For a situation like this to happen and them not being shocked about it, it’s pretty hurtful.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the events of the day highlighted the importance of facts and truth, noting that misinformation about the presidential election spurred Wednesday’s “bizarre scene.”

“A pretty clear reminder that the truth matters,” said Kerr, who was born in Lebanon and lived when he was young in the Middle East, the son of American academic Malcolm Kerr, who was killed in 1984 by the militant group Islamic Jihad.

“We’ve been talking about this for years, but the truth matters in our country and anywhere, in any circumstance because of the repercussions if we allow lies to spread. And if we enable people in power to lie. You all of a sudden have millions of people who are doubting an election that was certified in every state.

“We had … 7 to 8 million more people vote for Biden than for Trump,” Kerr continued. “Every state has certified those results, every court appeal has been turned down. A legitimate election is suddenly questioned by millions of people, including many of the people who are leading our country in government, because we’ve decided to, over the last few years, allow lies to be told.

“So, this is who we are. You reap what you sow.”

The insurrection in D.C. happened the day after the Kenosha (Wisc.) County district attorney, Michael Graveley, announced the officers involved in the shooting of Jacob Blake would not be charged. Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was left partially paralyzed after a white police officer shot him seven times in the back in front of three of Blake’s children on Aug. 23.

The shooting was recorded on video and circulated widely, sparking national outrage – including in the NBA’s bubble in Orlando, where postseason play was suspended for a few days when players went on strike to protest police violence and social injustice.

Asked Tuesday about the district attorney’s decision, Clippers star Kawhi Leonard said the situation is “hard to think about,” and “hopefully, in the future, we can get these guys to stop releasing fire on us.”

Former Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who, like Kerr, often is outspoken about issues of import beyond basketball, criticized the police response to rioters in Washington D.C.

“It’s pretty disturbing, obviously, sad,” Rivers, who now coaches the Philadelphia 76ers, said before his team faced the Washington Wizards in Philadelphia. “But what it’s not is – I keep hearing ‘this attack on democracy’ – it’s not. Democracy will prevail. It always does.

“It shows a lot though. When you saw the protests in summer, you saw the riots or more the police and the National Guard and the Army. And then you see this and you saw nothing. It basically proves the point about a privileged life in a lot of ways.

“I’ll say it because I don’t think a lot of people want to: Could you imagine today if those were all Black people storming the Capitol and what would’ve happened? So that to me is a picture that’s worth 1,000 words for all of us to see and probably something for us to reckon with again.

“No police dogs turned on people, no billy clubs hitting people, people peacefully being escorted out of the Capitol. So it shows that you can disperse a crowd peacefully, I guess, would be the one thing.”

In Miami, Boston Celtics players reportedly met pregame to discuss taking action in response to the recent events. Though they left the court shortly before tip-off, they returned and both they and Heat players knelt during the national anthem – a form of protest employed before games played in the bubble.

The teams also released a joint statement the echoed what Rivers said. It read: “We have decided to play tonight’s game to try to bring joy into people’s lives. But we must not forget the injustices in our society, & we will continue to use our voices & our platform to highlight these issues & do everything we can to work for a more equal and just America.”

“But it’s a sad day in a lot of ways, not good for our country, more across the borders, that people see this. But it’s part of what we are and so we have to solve it.

“We play tonight’s game with a heavy heart after yesterday’s decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation’s capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on what side of certain issues they are on.”

Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, who drove 15 hours from Boston to Atlanta in May to lead a peaceful protest following the death of George Floyd on Memorial Day, opened his postgame media availability by addressing what has been happening in society.

“It reminds me of what Dr. Martin Luther King has said, that there’s two split different Americas,” Brown said. “In one America, you get killed by sleeping in your car, selling cigarettes or playing in your backyard. And then in another America, you get to storm the Capitol and no tear gas, no massive arrests, none of that. So, I think it’s obvious: It’s 2021 – I don’t think anything has changed. We want to still acknowledge that. We want to still push for the change that we’re looking for. But as of yet, we have not seen it. We want to continue to keep conversations alive and do our part.”