Milwaukee Bucks boycott Game 5

The Milwaukee Bucks have officially chosen to boycott Game 5 of their opening round NBA playoff series against the Orlando Magic. The boycott is the result of the shooting of a black man named Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which is only 45 minutes away from Milwaukee by car.

No Bucks players were on the floor during pre-game warmups, while Orlando’s players were having a shoot around. When the game was set to begin at 4:00pm ET, neither team was on the floor. As game balls were put away a few minutes after 4:00, it became clear the game was not going to take place.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN was the first to confirm the boycott, via Twitter.

Since the NBA restarted, a large theme has been their support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Players have had (NBA-approved) BLM slogans on the back of their jerseys, while their names have been featured below their numbers.

Some of those slogans include, “Say Her Name,” in reference to Breonna Taylor, who was killed by police, “Peace,” “Education Reform,” and “Ally,” among many others. The courts being played on also have “Black Lives Matter,” featured prominently.

It is unclear whether the Bucks will continue their boycott into what would be the start time for Game 6, or if they will forfeit the match for choosing not to play.

Featured Image courtesy of David Dow/Getty Images

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