Most players and coaches, but not all, are kneeling while pre-recorded versions of the national anthem are being played at the restarted NBA season. Jonathan Isaac became the first player to not kneel when he stood before he and the Orlando Magic played the Brooklyn Nets.
Orlando Magic's Jonathan Isaac stands as others kneel before the start of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets NBA game Friday, July 31, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. And later Friday, Gregg Popovich and Becky Hammon did the same.
Hammon, one of Popovich's assistant coaches, also stood. She draped one arm over the shoulders of Spurs assistant Will Hardy, kneeling to her right, and the other over veteran San Antonio guard Patty Mills, kneeling to her left. Popovich and Hammon both wore "Black Lives Matter" T-shirts, as almost all players and coaches have for warm-ups and the anthem.
"Kneeling while wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt doesn't go hand-in-hand with supporting Black lives," Isaac said. Players and teams at the restart at Disney have elected to kneel for the playing of the anthems, doing so along the sideline nearest their benches -- which also happens to be the one where "Black Lives Matter" has been painted onto the playing surface.
"We're hoping that we can keep everybody's mind on that," Popovich said. "A lot of things go on in this country day after day after day. ... Things get lost sometimes and we don't want this to be one of those things."
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