Blazers boycott in support of Black Lives Matter movement

PORTLAND, Ore. – The latest matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Lakers has been postponed due to a boycott from numerous NBA players.

The players are voicing their support for Black Lives Matter following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The first hint at a boycott came from the Milwaukee Bucks, who didn’t come out of the locker room for their face-off against the Orlando Magic Wednesday. In turn, Magic players walked off the court a few minutes before game time.

Shortly thereafter, ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that the L.A. Lakers were in talks to boycott their next game with the Blazers in solidarity.

At 2:10 PST, the NBC tweeted: “The NBA and the NBPA today announced that in light of the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to not take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, today’s three games – MIL-ORL, HOU-OKC and LAL-POR have been postponed. Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled.”

The Blazers tweeted “#BlackLivesMatter” in response to the league’s rescheduling announcement.

Wojnarowski said, “Emotions are raw, players were already worn out of bubble environment prior to the Jacob Blake shooting and sources say discussions within teams are ongoing about postponing tomorrow’s three games too — and beyond. ‘The season is in jeopardy,’ one vet player here tells ESPN.”

Every NBA player is reportedly invited to join executives in a meeting Wednesday night to talk about what will happen next.

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