Players from two NBA teams took a knee during the National Anthem Wednesday night after a day of civil unrest in Washington rocked the country and a decision by Kenosha prosecutors not to bring charges against police officers involved in the shooting of Jacob Blake.
Most of the players on the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics opted to take a knee in solidarity before facing against each other.
In a joint statement, the two teams expressed their initial hesitancy to play in the game given the events of the day but eventually decided to do so “to try to bring joy to people’s lives.”
“We play tonight’s game with a heavy heart after yesterday’s decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation’s capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on what side of certain issues they are on,” the statement read.
“The drastic difference between the way protesters this past spring and summer were treated and the encouragement given to today’s protestors who acted illegally just shows how much more work we have to do.”
The two teams vowed to continue to be vocal about what they perceive to be wrongdoings.
“We must not forget the injustices in our society, and we will continue to use our voices and our platform to highlight these issues and do everything we can to work for a more equal and just America.”