Bucks boycott playoff game vs. Magic; other teams plan to follow suit

UPDATE

It looks this could become a league-wide boycott with other NBA teams planning to sit out their playoff games.

Athletes in all sports are making their voices heard now more than ever.

That was taken to a new level Wednesday when the Milwaukee Bucks decided to boycott their playoff matchup with the Orlando Magic, per Adrian Wojnarowski. This is Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round with Milwaukee leading 3-1.

The Magic took the floor for pregame warmups at the usual time and appeared ready to play, but the Bucks players remained in their locker room, so the Magic players have also left the floor.

This isn’t the only NBA playoff game that could be postponed due to a boycott. According to ESPN, the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors have discussed boycotting their Thursday matchup in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

With Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors just over 24 hours away from its scheduled tip, the possibility of boycotting the game remains on the table for both teams in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Blake, a Black man, was shot at least seven times, apparently in the back, by police on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as he attempted to enter the driver’s side door of his vehicle with three of his children inside. Video of the shooting was distributed on social media.

We’ve seen athletes being more vocal than ever before when it comes to the racial injustices in America. However. this is the first boycott of any kind from a major athletics team in America.

Be sure to read our own Mike Whitlow’s piece on UK players being encouraged to speak out against issues like this.