Bucks and Magic boycott NBA playoff game following police shooting of Jacob Blake
An empty court and bench is shown before the start of a scheduled game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Orlando Magic for Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 26, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Kevin C. Cox | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
Players from the Orlando Magic and the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their playoff game Wednesday following the shooting of Jacob Blake, an NBA source confirmed to CNBC’s Scott Wapner.
The two teams were scheduled to play a 4 p.m. game at the National Basketball Association’s Disney bubble, but never showed up on the court.
Reports from media outlets at the NBA’s Orlando campus suggest the players from the Bucks have decided to protest the game due to the shooting of Blake by police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Bucks’ home state. The officers involved in the shooting are currently on administrative leave.
The NBA was not immediately available to comment.
The NBA has two other playoff games scheduled for Wednesday: The Oklahoma City Thunder versus the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trailblazers versus the LA Lakers. The is no current status the two games.
ESPN reported on Wednesday that players from the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors discussed boycotting their first playoff game scheduled for Thursday. Following the Los Angeles Clippers Game 5 win over the Dallas Maverick coach Doc Rivers also spoke on the shooting of Blake and current state of race relations in the U.S.
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