BOSTON — On Saturday, protests broke out in Minneapolis after federal immigration officers killed an ICU nurse, the latest killing perpetrated by an ICE agent in recent weeks.
Alex Pretti, who was 37 years old, was killed during an immigration operation that has become more commonplace in Minneapolis and other cities surveilled by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). An
The next day, the NBA Players Association put out a statement with one clear message: they were going to speak up and call for justice.
Following the news of yet another fatal shooting in Minneapolis, a city that has been on the forefront of the fight against injustices, NBA players can no longer remain silent.
Now more than ever, we must defend the right to freedom of speech and stand in solidarity with the people in Minnesota protesting and risking their lives to demand justice. The fraternity of NBA players, like the United States itself, is a community enriched by its global citizens, and we refuse to let the flames of division threaten the civil liberties that are meant to protect us all.
The NBPA and its members extend our deepest condolences to the families of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, just as our thoughts remain focused on the safety and well-being of all members of our community.
Jaylen Brown, one of the NPBA’s Vice Presidents, said on Monday night that he felt the statement was overdue.
“Things have been happening for a while,” Brown said. “People have rightfully made complaints and have protested for some time now. But it takes time to get a bunch of guys, a majority of guys, on the same page, to be able to put something out. So, that’s what you see.”
The NBPA has spoken up before regarding social issues
The NBPA’s Executive Committee is made up of 9 players, a list that includes Houston Rockets guard Fred Van Fleet, Charlotte Hornets forwards Grant Williams and Mason Plumlee, Memphis Grizzlies center Jaren Jackson Jr, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, New York Knicks forward Karl Anthony-Towns, Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent, and Brown.
The union has spoken up before; in 2020, after the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, the NBPA spoke out regarding systemic racism and police brutality, with the league and players ultimately agreeing to embroider social justice slogans on jerseys, among other measures.
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In recent years, however, the union has opted not to comment on the immigration raids taking place across the U.S, as well as other social issues.
But Sunday served as a tipping point. In addition to the union’s official statement, several players on the NBPA Executive Committe also spoke out, whether on social media or in postgame media availabilities. Anthony-Towns, who spent the first 9 years of his career in Minneapolis, called for “accountability, transparency, and protections for all people.”
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was the first player to speak out after Pretti’s killing, simplying posting on X: “Alex Pretti was murdered.”
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembenyama, who is from France, addressed the issue at Spurs practice on Tuesday: “You know, PR has tried, but I’m not going to sit here and give some politically correct [answer]. Every day, I wake up and see the news and I’m horrified. I think that it’s crazy that some people make it sound like it’s acceptable, like the murder of civilians is acceptable.
Donovan Mitchell spoke at length about what he described as “senseless violence.”
“I have family who… came to this country, right? You know what I mean?” Mitchell told reporters. “And they fear for their lives. They fear. And they’re legal citizens, like, they fear. I don’t know the whole situation of the people that got murdered, but I do know that this is BS, right? Like, it’s BS and that’s just been my standpoint on it.”
Jaylen Brown, who has been an NBPA Vice President since 2019, explained that the union’s statement took time to put together because they needed to get alignment among majority of players.
“It’s a lot of conversations that have been happening for a while about what’s been going on, and how collectively we like to use our voice,” Brown said. “There are a bunch of guys who may feel different about each and every situation, but as a collective, we have to come to some form of understanding.”
Brown said players send their condolences to those who have recently lost their lives, as well as their loved ones.
“Our players, we don’t stand for it,” Brown said. “We demand accountability, and we think that there needs to be some improvement in the tactics, the profiling, or whatever is going on. So it’s a lot for everyone to see, and for the people who are in Minnesota who are having these experiences, and all over the US, not just Minnesota, even here in Boston, there are things going on. It’s a lot to encapsulate in words.”
It remains to be seen if the NBPA will do more than just put out their initial statement, as they did during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.
But, signaling where the union stood on this issue was an important first step.
“Basketball is entertainment, and it’s important — but there’s other things going on in the world that are more important,” Brown said.
“Something needs to be said.”