Report: NBA unlikely to put names of police-brutality victims onto jerseys

The NBA is reportedly considering allowing players to replace their last names on their jerseys with a statement of social justice.

It’s unclear whether that will happen in some format. But with names of victims of police brutality? Probably not.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports:

A plan to place the names of police-brutality victims onto players’ jerseys for the NBA’s season resumption at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, is unlikely to proceed, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The National Basketball Players Association has been in conversations with the league about ways to remember victims of police violence by placing the name of a victim on a player’s jersey to help keep the focus on the Black Lives Matter movement, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Sources said there are a few concerns within the union about the plan, particularly respecting the family’s right to pick the player they would want honoring the name, and with there being so many victims of police violence, there was genuine concern about adding unnecessary pain to families if their loved ones were omitted.

This sounds like a reasonable concern. This current movement of protests was sparked by the death of George Floyd, but the issue of police violence runs far wider – including to gray areas. That’s difficult to sort out, and a multi-billion-dollar business is probably especially unlikely to take up the endeavor.

The NBA will reportedly put “Black Lives Matter” on the courts at Disney World. Thanks to those who’ve pushed for racial justice, that phrase has gained enough mainstream acceptance for a large corporation to use.