NBA postpones Thursday games, targeting weekend return

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In a statement, the NBA confirmed Thursday’s slate of games are being postponed, and expressed hope the playoffs will resume either Friday or Saturday.

“NBA playoff games for today will not be played as scheduled. We are hopeful to resume games either Friday or Saturday,” NBA executive vice president Mike Bass said in the release. “There is a video conference call meeting scheduled later this afternoon between a group of NBA players and team governors representing the 13 teams in Orlando, along with representatives from the National Basketball Players Association and the league office and NBA Labor Relations Committee Chairman Michael Jordan, to discuss next steps.”

Catalyzed by the Milwaukee Bucks not taking the floor for their playoff game against the Orlando Magic, players and teams across the American sports landscape boycotted contests on Wednesday in a show of protest after Kenosha police officers shot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, seven times in the back on Sunday. 

WNBA players opted out of three scheduled games Wednesday, and the league has already announced three more Thursday are being postponed.  

Events Wednesday led to wide speculation that the NBA and WNBA seasons may not resume at all. But in a player meeting this morning, NBA players reportedly decided to resume their season.  WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said on SportsCenter Thursday afternoon that WNBA players did the same.

Now, it seems it’s just a matter of when exactly those games will return, and under what pretenses. The Thursday meeting between NBA players and the Board of Governors could yield some answers on the latter front.

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