Avery Bradley, who co-leads the players’ coalition along with Kyrie Irving, spoke with Malika Andrews and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com to outline what the group would like to see done before the NBA resumes its season.
Among the priorities is the improved hiring practices for black front office and head coaching positions in the NBA. Bradley also suggested that the league’s front offices should better reflect its composition of players. Currently, there are just eight black general managers – including only four that have final say on basketball decisions – and seven black head coaches.
“Regardless of how much media coverage will be received, talking and raising awareness about social injustice isn’t enough,” Bradley said. “Are we that self-centered to believe no one in the world is aware of racism right now? That as athletes, we solve the real issues by using our platforms to speak?
“We don’t need to say more. We need to find a way to achieve more. Protesting during an anthem, wearing T-shirts is great, but we need to see real actions being put in to the works.”
Another priority is which organizations the league does business with and which foundations it provides donations to. The black community should be better represented in those areas, Bradley argues. Additionally, Bradley calls for the owners to stand behind the players. The Lakers guard hopes that the league’s owners will follow the charitable work of Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Hornets owner Michael Jordan. Both made substantial contributions in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
“I agree [the] Orlando [restart] will give the players checks to contribute back into their communities,” Bradley said. “But how much of that bubble check are players actually able to contribute? Why [is] all of the responsibility being put on the players?”
Bradley added that he hasn’t seen a plan from the NBA for league-wide action.
“Don’t put all of the weight on your player to take care of the issue,” Bradley said. “If you care about us, you can’t remain silent and in the background.”
Other players are behind Irving and Bradley, though the ESPN duo notes that many are reluctant to speak out for fear of backlash.
“The actual act of sitting out doesn’t directly fight systemic racism,” Bradley said. “But it does highlight the reality that without black athletes, the NBA wouldn’t be what it is today. The league has a responsibility to our communities in helping to empower us — just as we have made the NBA brand strong.”
Here’s an idea. Play the game you’re paid to play. Politic all you want when you hang them up.
Beep boop now initiating dunk sequence
When did Adam Silver make an announcement that social reform was all on the players? The guy literally threw an owner out of the league when he made racist comments in his own home….I think Adam Silver is a safe bet to back social reform.
If the league begins hemorrhaging money, I believe Mr. Silver would be unemployed. So that argument ceases to impress.
I’m not sure how Donald Sterling found his way onto the thread
I was commenting on how Avery Bradley “don’t put all the weight on the player to take care of the issue”. And then suggested Adam Silver has always backed the players and his ethics, thus, I sighted an example where he backed players, took an ethical stance, and even took down an owner. Not meant to attack Bradley, just a comment to say “have faith in the leader of your league”.
He didn’t but Avery is right. Owners have way more money and influence than players. So far only Cuban and Jordan have done anything, it’s time to trickle up the cause.
The players can put the pressure on ownership. Crying about it don’t help. Most of us regular folks. All we can do is protest and vote. The money and real power. Has to come from the ones who have it. Big stars in every genre. Rich minorities in business. None have stepped up like Bron has. And he’s still new to the game. If the affluent blacks are not in the front lines. Then you can see why we are still fighting systemic racism.
Lebrun is just great with the Chinese communists, supports major dictators over free people.
Who is Lebrun? Arnold Ziffel listened to horses. So you are psychotic.
I think they are AL.
Thats why I hate what Kyries doing right now. This is a minority view being glamorized by the media. That glamorization is all Kyrie wants to begin with fulfilling his matrix.
I Think what your getting at is proper leadership at the top. This is all above Kyries pay grade and talent level moving forward so I think we just have to let this little star burn out real quick.
Kyries sitting at the kiddie table with plastic silverware in any real BLM movements going forward. I think the black community has always prided itself behind intelligence and civility with its leaders. I have full faith in with whoes sitting at the adult table right now
Kyrie is destroying any chances the Nets had of being a competitive team when KD returns next season. It has been almost 15 years since that team was relevant, and they were supposed to return to respectability after acquiring both Durant and Irving last summer. But even though he got his one (and only) ring with LeBron a few years ago, it’s obvious now that Kyrie had his single chance at winning a title while riding LBJ’s coattails.
*KnickerbockerAl*. They ain’t crying. They are putting pressure on the owners as we speak
8 Black GMs and 7 Black head coaches isn’t exactly horrific… I mean just look at the NFL they have what 0 minority GMs and a couple of head coaches. I get what Bradley’s saying but as far as the major sports go… I think the NBA is the most “progressive” in terms of hiring minority coaches/execs — there are even several teams owned by minorities throughout the league. I get what he’s saying and more would be great… But I also don’t necessarily see it as a major issue like maybe it is in the NFL.
The Dolphins GM is black.
If you look at population demographics, African American players, coaches, and GMs are over represented. It will be interesting to see who will blink first. I bet many players on small salaries are not exactly comfortable with this situation.
But the facts are that the league was shutdown due the virus. Not civil rights situations. Seeing the coalition’s ideas, I see the virus isn’t mentioned at all. The league would never have been shut down for police reform.
There is a lot of hypocrisy with the fact that there were players calling for Darryl Morey to be fired after supporting democracy in Hong Kong and even more players refused to support the protesters there so they could make money from China. Human rights should be for everyone.
Bradley thinks Blacks made the NBA. But, Whites did, and still furnish more revenue. So, by his argument, there should be more White GMs. It’s about the customers, not the workers.
Bradley’s arguments are fundamentally racist and some are straw-man. There is unlikely to be any appeasement level, just more.
I think the bigger picture of the protesting these proposed actions reference, is just a heebie-jeebie response from Blacks to the pandemic and the semi-imposed social restrictions. They and the politically-inspired repub deniers are showing up as weak links in herd immunity to biologic enemies.
Since dislike of white liberals and their typical response is growing among black activists, their assurances are getting increasingly rejected. So the liberal media tries harder yet, like it’s their main job, and saturates us with news of Black protest. Bradley wants NBA players to be part of that with something that must be noticed, like what amounts to a work strike. Hmm how convenient to those who do not want to show anyway for safety.
Well I got pretty political getting to the last.
“How much of that bubble check are the players actually able to contribute…”. Hahaha
So lete get this straight. The Clown Car Crew want what amounts to some type of BLM reparations deal for all the black NBA players ?
Just when I thought it might be turning a corner for the Playoffs to actually begin.
Lol, your main job is to play basketball. Since when did we ask you guys for your political opinions? I’m pretty sure if I decided to not go to work for blm I’d be fired. Players really do nothing for there communities so until they want to start chipping in millions as an owner I wouldn’t budge. The greed is real amongst players, once they make it do you see them donating to the communities they grew up in? No. They simply vote to have the middle class pay for things they complain about, just look at lebrons school for kids funded by Cleveland tax payers yet lebron gets credit for simply endorsing lol. Joke.
hey avery bradley – stfu