Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley expects the NBA will return in July regardless of what anyone not named LeBron James has to say.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images
"Hoopers say what y’all want. If @KingJames said he hooping. We all hooping. Not Personal only BUSINESS?????? ?? #StayWoke ✊?✊?✊?," he wrote on Twitter, Sunday.
The NBA is set to return on July 30 in Orlando, Florida 22 teams; however, many players have voiced their disapproval of the league returning so soon. Kyrie Irving, in particular, has been a prominent voice in opposition to the return time-frame. “I don’t support going into Orlando. I’m not with the systematic racism and the bullshit. Something smells a little fishy," Irving told The Athletic, this week.
On the other hand, LeBron James is among the players who reportedly disagree with Irving. The thinking here is that the players could use their earnings to donate to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Houston Rocket guard Austin Rivers explained this point view, Saturday, saying "Us coming back would put money in all of our (NBA players) pockets. With this money, you could help out even more people and continue to give more importantly your time and energy towards the BLM movement. Which I'm 100% on board with. Because change needs to happen and injustice has been going on too long."
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Dwight Howard Releases Statement In Support Of Kyrie Irving
Dwight Howard and Kyrie Irving are two of the most prominent players who don't want the season to continue.
Kyrie Irving has been the biggest story in the NBA over the past couple of days thanks to his efforts to bring players together in an attempt to stop the NBA from continuing the season. In addition to being against the bubble city idea, Kyrie and his colleagues believe there are much bigger things to worry about right now. With all of the protests going on, Irving would much rather focus on social change and he believes basketball distracts from that.
Last night, Dwight Howard sent a statement to CNN in solidarity with Kyrie. As he explains, he very much supports Irving's position and would rather the league not continue the season. Howard even went so far as to say that unifying his people is much more important than winning a championship. Regardless of your thoughts on this stance, there is no denying that this is an admirable take
Per Howard:
“I agree with Kyrie (Irving). Basketball, or entertainment period, isn’t needed at this moment, and will only be a distraction. Sure it might not distract us the players, but we have resources at hand majority of our community don’t have. And the smallest distraction for them, can start a trickle down effect that may never stop. Especially with the way the climate is now. I would love nothing more than to win my very first NBA Championship. But the unity of My People would be an even bigger Championship, that’s just too beautiful to pass up. What better time than now for us to be focusing on our families?
This is a rare opportunity that, I believe, we as a community should be taking full advantage of. When have we ever had this amount of time to sit and be with our families? This is where our Unity starts. At home! With Family!! European Colonization stripped us of our rich history, and we have yet to sit down and figure us out. The less distractions, the more we can put into action into rediscovering ourselves. Nations come out of families. Black/African American is not a Nation or Nationality. It’s time Our Families became their own Nations. No Basketball till we get things resolved.”
Over the next few weeks, it will be interesting to see how this all progresses. The NBA seems to be keen on continuing the season no matter what although if too many players boycott, a return will be impossible.
Austin Rivers Explains Why Kyrie Irving Is Wrong About The NBA’s Return
Austin Rivers responds to Kyrie Irving in regard to the resumption of the 2019-20 NBA season.
Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers has responded to Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who says the return of the NBA would negatively affect the Black Lives Matter movement. Rivers says he doesn't see the correlation.
Takashi Aoyama / Getty Images
"Us coming back would put money in all of our (NBA players) pockets," Rivers continued. "With this money, you could help out even more people and continue to give more importantly your time and energy towards the BLM movement. Which I'm 100% on board with. Because change needs to happen and injustice has been going on too long."
"I love Kyrie's passion towards helping this movement," Rivers continued. "It's admirable and inspiring. I'm with it ... but not at the cost of the whole NBA and players' careers. We can do both. We can play and we can help change the way black lives are lived. I think we have [to]! But canceling and boycotting [a] return doesn't do that in my opinion. Guys want to play and provide and help change!!!!"
Reports have surfaced that Irving is against the NBA resuming. He told The Athletic, "“I’m not with the systematic racism and the bullshit. Something smells a little fishy.”
Former NBA player Stephen Jackson has also expressed his disapproval of the league returning in July.
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Stephen Jackson Disapproves Of NBA Return: "Now Ain’t The Time"
Stephen Jackson does not support a return of the 2019-20 NBA season in July.
Former NBA player Stephen Jackson says the league is jumping the gun with it’s return to action in July, claiming “now ain’t the time.”
Stephen Maturen / Getty Images
Jackson says the return of the NBA will shift the conversation away from social justice and police reform: “I love the NBA man, that’s my family,” Jackson told fans in a video uploaded to Instagram. “But now ain’t the time to be playing basketball y’all. Now ain’t the time. Playing basketball is gonna do one thing, take all the attention off the task at hand right now and what we fighting for.”
“Everybody gonna be worried about the playoffs, they gonna have that blasting all over the TV, and nobodies gonna be talking about getting justice for all these senseless murders by these police and nobody’s gonna be focused on the task at hand,” he continued. “None of these white owners have spoken up, none of ’em are taking a stand. Yeah, they might post a video when the season start of saying what we should do, but they ain’t doing nothing.”
Current NBA player Kyrie Irving has expressed similar sentiments, telling The Athletic, “I’m not with the systematic racism and the bullshit. Something smells a little fishy.”
“I’m willing to give up everything I have [for social reform],” he added.
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Austin Rivers Argues Against Kyrie Irving’s NBA Reboot Boycott
Austin Rivers had a plethora of points refuting Kyrie Irving's hypothesis.
Kyrie Irving has been making headlines over the last couple of days thanks to his NBA boycott efforts. Last night, Irving hosted a Zoom call with over 200 players, calling for many to take a stand against the league. With all of the protests going on right now, Irving doesn't think it is appropriate for players to be heading back to the court. Instead, Irving believes their energy should be on trying to create social change. The Brooklyn Nets star sees the return of basketball as a distraction from what is truly important and is hoping players realize that.
Today, Austin Rivers issued a lengthy argument against what Irving is preaching. As you can see in the tweet below, Rivers believes players can play basketball while advocating for social change at the same time. Rivers also notes that not every player makes as much as Kyrie and that not playing could hurt them financially.
From there, Rivers also explained the ramifications a boycott could have on the CBA. If games aren't played, the league won't make its TV revenues which will ultimately lead to a massive reduction in the salary cap. Knowing Kyrie's history, we would be the first to speak up against a reduction in salaries, so Rivers most certainly makes a great point.
As of right now, there is definitely a divide amongst the players and only time will tell whether or not it works itself out.
LeBron James Reportedly Disagrees With Kyrie Irving’s Efforts
Kyrie Irving is against a return to action but LeBron is very much on a different page.
Kyrie Irving flipped the basketball world on its head yesterday when it was revealed that he was looking to bring a group of players together to oppose the start of the NBA season. Over 200 players took part in Zoom call last night and it seems like many are opposed to going to Orlando. Fans are not taking too kindly to this fact although Irving feels as though this is a necessary step forward. As he said on the call, he feels like something fishy is going on and that there are bigger things to worry about than sports.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, LeBron James is very much against this line of thinking. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar believes he can effect social change while playing and that it would be a much bigger statement if players advocated for reforms on live TV when everyone is watching.
Irving and James are at opposite ends of the spectrum although it's easy to see why. LeBron's Lakers are title contenders while the Brooklyn Nets have no shot at making it past the first round. LeBron has the most to lose here and he would much rather see the league make a comeback.
Regardless, Irving and the 200 players rallying behind him will prove to be a huge hurdle if the NBA wants to make a comeback next month.
Kyrie Irving Says "Something Smells Fishy" About NBA Return
Kyrie Irving hosted a Zoom call with about 200 players last night.
Kyrie Irving made headlines yesterday as it was revealed that he was leading a group of players who are opposed to returning to the NBA next month in Orlando. Last night, Irving held a Zoom call with about 200 players where he reportedly tried to give them a platform to speak up against what the league is doing. In addition to not being happy about the conditions in Orlando, Kyrie is also displeased with the fact that the league is asking players to come back in the midst of protests against racial inequality.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Irving had a particularly interesting quote in which he said: "I don’t support going into Orlando. I’m not with the systematic racism and the bullshit. Something smells a little fishy."
While Irving's sentiments are certainly shared by some players, it's interesting to note that Irving is currently injured and there is no guarantee that he would even be able to come back and play. This fact has led some fans to think that he is only making these arguments because he knows his Brooklyn Nets have no chance at a title.
At this point, the NBA is going to have a lot of explaining to do if they want to appease their players. Over the coming weeks, this story could develop into something massive and the return of the NBA season now hangs in the balance.
Lakers Players React To Kyrie Irving’s Zoom Call Plans
Kyle Kuzma and Jared Dudley just want to get back on the court.
Next month, the NBA plans to have its players embark on a journey to Disney World where they will compete in the league's first-ever bubble city. This concept is only necessary due to the Coronavirus and players are already having some very justified concerns. However, things took an interesting turn today as it was revealed that Kyrie Irving has brought nearly 200 players together, who are all feeling uncomfortable with the NBA's ambitious plans. In fact, Kyrie and the players will participate in a Zoom call to see where they stand on the issues.
If there is any team that could benefit the most from the league's return, it would be the Los Angeles Lakers who are title contenders. With this in mind, it's not surprising that players like Kyle Kuzma and Jared Dudley came out on Twitter in support of restarting the season. "Some of us want to hoop and compete don’t get that twisted," Kuzma wrote.
As you can see from the tweet above, Dudley is hoping to take part in this Zoom call and see what the biggest concerns are moving forward. At the end of the day, the players do need to be consulted before finalizing a plan as intricate as a bubble city.
If the NBA can't get the players to agree to it, the league could be in some serious trouble.
Kyrie Irving To Lead Group Of 200 NBA Players Opposed To Re-Opening
Kyrie Irving and numerous other NBA players aren't too happy about the Orlando, Florida "bubble city" proposal.
Despite not having any games for the last three months, the last little while has been pretty busy for the NBA. They have been hard at work trying to find a plan to re-open the league and as it stands, July 30th seems to be the target date. When the NBA restarts, every single game will be taking place inside of a bubble city in Orlando, Florida and the players are going to be very restricted when it comes to movement. Essentially, players will be forced to stay within a small area and some won't be able to see their family and friends.
Some players aren't happy about this and are trying to find a way to get the NBA to change some of their plans. According to Taylor Rooks and Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, Kyrie Irving is apparently leading this charge and plans to host a Zoom call with 200 NBA players tonight. This call will see players voice their concerns while standing together in solidarity.
This group is opposed to restarting the season within the NBA's rules and want to see some changes before they go to Orlando. Two-hundred players account for close to 40 percent of the league which means Adam Silver definitely has some incoming pressure on his hands.
If he can't find a solution that works for everyone, there might not be an ending to this season.
Nike Kyrie 6 "Asia" Coming Soon: Official Photos
This purple Nike Kyrie 6 might be the most peculiar colorway we have seen yet.
Kyrie Irving hasn’t been able to play a lot of basketball in 2020 but that hasn’t stopped him from dropping a whole bunch of new colorways for the popular Nike Kyrie 6. This is easily one of his best basketball shoes yet and fans are always excited to see what he’s going to drop next. With the summer just around the corner, many ballplayers will be heading to the courts and will need some new kicks. If you’re into something a bit more colorful, well the next colorway of the Kyrie 6 will have you covered.
This model is being dubbed “Asia” and features a bunch of lavender and purple tones that are highlighted thanks to a duck camo on the toe box. From there, we have a lavender and red Nike swoosh which is layered on the side panel. The infamous Illuminati eye is placed on the back heel while the bottom of the shoe has an array of colors as well.
An exact release date has yet to be determined for these but you can expect them to drop in the not so distant future for $130 USD.
