The NBA is a month away from resuming its season. With the season continuing, players are starting to confirm publicly whether or not they’ll be attending the continuation in Orlando, Fla.
In recent news, Los Angeles Lakers guard Avery Bradley announced that he will be staying home with his family. This decision comes two weeks after he participated in a conference call with Kyrie Irving. The Nets star held a players-only call that spoke on the topic of players taking a stand for movements that oppressed African-Americans. During the discussion, Irving mentioned that the NBA should cancel the season as players must focus on fighting for equality.
Bradley was among a handful of players that were vocal about Irving’s words during the call and on social media. The veteran shooting guard hinted that he would sit out and help the movements instead of going back for the remainder of the season. Even with the idea of sitting out for a great cause, the NBA has announced their participation in helping players be vocal while they are attending the restart of the league in Orlando.
With the help of the NBA, the players will be given a better stool to show their support for equality and oppression. With that said, Bradley still opted out of playing, citing the fact that he wanted to stay healthy and take care of his family. Bradley has three children, including a six-year-old that can easily catch diseases. Bradley is wisely choosing family over basketball, which is an honorable decision even if it means missing out on the chance of hoisting up a trophy.
Other players such as Davis Bertans also opted out of going to Orlando. Bertans told the Washington Wizards that he would not participate because he did not want to risk injury. The veteran forward already tore his ACL twice in his career, and with his contract up after this year, he wanted to make sure he stayed healthy.
With training camps right around the corner, more players will have to decide whether or not they want to play in the NBA’s resumed season.
