Kyle Rittenhouse drove from Antioch, Illinois, across state lines to Kenosha, Wisc., where he picked up his AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle (which he had stored in the city), prior to a night of Black Lives Matter protests and civil unrest in Kenosha in the wake of a white police officer shooting and seriously injuring Jacob Blake, a Black man, in 2020. There, Rittenhouse shot and killed two men — Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26 — plus injured a third. Rittenhouse was put on trial for homicide with a total of five charges in the shootings; the defense argued the shootings were in self-defense. It was a case that touched on race and gun rights issues that have divided the nation.
On Friday, a mostly white jury found Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts.
NBA players took to social media to react to the verdict, and at games Friday night were asked about it.
That starts with the Milwaukee Bucks, the team closest to the situation and the team that sat out a game and brought a halt to play in the bubble after the shooting of Blake. Khris Middleton spoke on the verdict, via ESPN:
“We talked about [the verdict] a little bit as a team,” Middleton saide. “Speaking for myself, it was definitely disappointing, but at the same time, it really wasn’t surprising about the verdict. I watched [the trial] a little bit and was able to keep up with it, but it’s something that I think we’ve all seen over and over again.”
The System Is Broken.
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) November 19, 2021
not surprised at all , smh ...
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) November 19, 2021
Wow
— 13am Adebayo💥 (@Bam1of1) November 19, 2021
Who really shocked tho? 😒
— Richaun Holmes (@Rich_Holmes22) November 19, 2021
they show sympathy to those they see themselves in…
— solomon hill (@solohill) November 19, 2021
Statement from National Basketball Social Justice Coalition Executive Director James Cadogan on the verdict in Kenosha, Wisconsin. pic.twitter.com/5jjTtssON2
— NBA (@NBA) November 20, 2021
Warriors coach Steve Kerr had these comments, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
“It wasn’t a shocking verdict,” Kerr said. “But it’s one that poses great risk going forward if we continue to go down this path with “open carry” and states determining that people — even underage people — can carry weapons of war. This is America. We’re treading down a dangerous path.”
Guess the forced tears worked..
— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) November 19, 2021
Its a fucked up country we live in
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) November 19, 2021
Ain’t no way
— PJ Washington (@PJWashington) November 19, 2021
I’m not even surprised!
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) November 19, 2021
