This is a great look at where the NBA stands now from @hmfaigen. https://t.co/A2CEjPA8BH
— Sabreena Merchant (@sabreenajm) August 27, 2020
The NBA playoffs have been postponed for at least one day, and there is at least a chance of more delays to come.
So if it ends today, or over the next few days, how will the NBA bubble be remembered? For one, history books will reflect that the league was once again a trendsetter on doing the right thing. But while it was the league office that made the (correct) call to halt the season after one positive coronavirus case, this time it was the players refusing to give people a distraction from the fight against systemic racism that is clearly a long way from over.
And even if it the NBA doesn’t crown a champion, the achievements the bubble helps spearhead may be much further reaching. It has helped set off similar protests in other pro sports that may snowball into real change if they wake people up, and on the coronavirus front, the league’s and players union’s efforts in Orlando helped pioneer a saliva-based coronavirus test that could make it far more affordable and feasible to turn the tide of this pandemic.
But make no mistake: there would be consequences to the season being halted, both near and far reaching. NBA ownership may tear up the collective bargaining agreement, and contracts around the league will likely be impacted. But we can discuss these and the many other impacts of all this at a later date, if and when they happen.
For now, the news that is in jeopardy will undoubtedly make everyone who loves this sport sad. But if that’s the thing we have to be most upset about today, then we should probably count ourselves lucky, think about the privilege that allows for that to be our biggest problem, and do what we can — with our votes, with our emails, with our phone calls and more — to fight the systemic racism that is hurting so many more people than just the players we love to watch, and has left them ultimately on the verge of stepping away.
The costs of cancelling the playoffs and how that impacts next season and the future of the NBA are so great the players and owners need to be very careful not to make a purely emotional decision that could destroy the power and platform they’ve so carefully built through the years.
LeBron has make or break power and I think he is going to use that power to force the Wisconsin legislature and Kenosha police department to do the right thing. Pass the police reform bill. Charge the officer who shot Jacob Blake 7 times in the back. Maybe get justice for Breonna Taylor.
These are achievable and monmental goals that require the ability to bluff as well as the patience to stay in the game. Leaving the bubble in anger accomplishes nothing compared to wielding social power to create real change.
We’re at one of those transcendent moments in history where real change can be accomplished if we have the vision and faith to stand our ground. This will all coalesce on November 3rd. Winning justice for Jacob Blake would be a great start.
I’d like to see that. It’s the big win and more important than the playoffs although that’s the vehicle with which to get the big win. Give that up and you give up your leverage. Be smart and win.