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NBA Restart: What to expect from social justice messages on jerseys

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NBA Restart: What to expect from social justice messages on jerseys

Most players chose one of 29 messages and some opted out.

Scott Agness
Jul 21, 2020
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NBA Restart: What to expect from social justice messages on jerseys

www.fieldhousefiles.com
Myles Turner shows off the Pacers’ City Uniform for the 2019-20 season. This is the jersey they will wear in their first seeding game, against the 76ers. (Photo: Pacers)

When NBA players take the court July 30 for the start of the seeding round games, most will have a social justice message on the back in place of their last name. This was agreed upon between the NBA and NBPA before 22 teams made their way down to Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex.

These new jerseys aren’t for the three scrimmages. The new jerseys, featuring one of 29 messages, will be worn in the first four days of games — which begin on July 30th. After Aug. 2, players may decide to continue wearing a jersey with a special message. And if they do, their last name will be added below their number, according to league sources.

Opening game jerseys with social justice messages on them will be worn just once and then auctioned off with the proceeds going to a social justice fund housed by the NBPA Foundation. Each player will also be allowed to keep one of the jerseys with the social justice message that they selected, sources said.

“We just want to be able to use this platform to be able to prolong the conversation and actually get stuff done within society,” Pacers forward T.J. Warren said. “I feel like this is a perfect platform for all the guys to stress how they feel.”

The NBA also had “Black Lives Matter” painted on the game courts.

The tough part in this is pleasing every player, which is impossible. So it was important that they made progress and gave players plenty of options, including the ability not to participate.

Seventeen players elected to keep their last name instead, according to ESPN. Lakers star LeBron James said he is one of them. Jimmy Butler said he requested to leave his nameplate blank.

“I felt with no name, it’s going back to who I was,” Butler explained. “If I wasn’t who I was today, I’m no different than anybody else of color. And I want that to be my message.”

No Pacer has thus far revealed their message. Former Pacer Glenn Robinson III, now a member of the 76ers, said in a statement that he did not choose a message.

“I would have liked to honor Trayvon Martin’s name, or use the name of my foundation, Angels Are Real Indeed,” he wrote. “Through Twitter, I proposed that the NBA + NBPA allow players to highlight organizations led by the players themselves, as well as the grassroots + local organizations in their home cities.”

Twitter avatar for @mr_jasonjones
Jason Jones @mr_jasonjones
Yogi Ferrell chose "How Many More?" to wear on his jersey.
5:11 PM ∙ Jul 19, 2020
8Likes3Retweets

Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon is very active with the NBPA and serves as one of seven vice presidents. Over the last few months, he was engaged in countless conversations and meetings to discuss ideas like this one. He participated in an Atlanta protest in June and plans to wear a message, but declined to share which one.

“That was something that was very important to me personally,” he said.

“It was a very tricky process. Being on the executive committee, you get to see the ins and outs of the negotiations at the table with the NBA. There’s a lot of push on both sides — the players want one thing and the NBA wants something else — and we had to come to agreement. Whether or not you like it, it is what it is at this point.”

Brogdon, who recently re-joined social media to spread his message and raise awareness, plans to announce many of his own initiatives Tuesday afternoon.

Here’s the list of options for the back of jerseys, which was provided to FieldhouseFiles.com. (You will also see some international players with social justice messages in their native language.)

  1. Black Lives Matter

  2. Say Their Names

  3. Vote

  4. I Can't Breathe

  5. Justice

  6. Peace

  7. Equality

  8. Freedom

  9. Enough

  10. Power to the People

  11. Justice Now

  12. Say Her Name

  13. Sí Se Puede

  14. Liberation

  15. See Us

  16. Hear Us

  17. Respect Us

  18. Love Us

  19. Listen

  20. Listen to Us

  21. Stand Up

  22. Ally

  23. Anti-Racist

  24. I Am A Man

  25. Speak Up

  26. How Many More

  27. Group Economics

  28. Education Reform

  29. Mentor

As for the WNBA — which is starting its season 100 miles away in Bradenton, Fla. — all jerseys will have "Breonna Taylor" stitched below player names on the back.

Twitter avatar for @IndianaFever
Indiana Fever ⛹️‍♀️🏀 @IndianaFever
#SayHerName #BlackLivesMatter
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11:53 PM ∙ Jul 19, 2020
485Likes83Retweets

New uniforms now required additional work for team equipment managers. They packed several uniforms — the Pacers brought three different sets — and now will have these new, customized jerseys shipped to the team hotel.

This is just a small part of what NBA players and the league are doing during the restart. On Monday, former MVP Russell Westbrook announced that his clothing line collaborated with the NBPA to create nearly a dozen t-shirt options for the players.

Twitter avatar for @russwest44
Russell Westbrook @russwest44
Honor the Gift is extremely proud to collaborate with the NBPA to create a collection of shirts that allow us players to shed light on social injustice, and honor the victims and families of those who continue to inspire us.
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4:07 PM ∙ Jul 20, 2020
5,122Likes1,184Retweets
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NBA Restart: What to expect from social justice messages on jerseys

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