According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Milwaukee Bucks decided to boycott Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic in wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake by Wisconsin police.
The Bucks never left the locker room for the start of Game 5 against Orlando, remaining inside while the Magic warmed up on the court.
“We’re tired of the killings and the injustice,” Bucks guard George Hill told The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears.
Following the boycott, Bucks players stayed in the locker room attempting to reach Wisconsin attorney general Josh Kaul.
“The game will not be played as scheduled,” according to The Athletic. “The league did not immediately respond to questions about next steps. Sources said the Magic are waiting to hear officially from the league as to what will happen.” Orlando players were reportedly unwilling to accept the game as a forfeit, so it seems the Bucks-Magic series will remain at 3-1, for now.
Emotions within the NBA bubble are clearly raw thanks to the shooting and it seems likely that more games will be postponed or canceled as players show their anger with the shooting of another unarmed Black man.
At this point, it certainly seems like the entire bubble could be in jeopardy.
Another boycott has already been announced and Raptors-Celtics tomorrow will likely be next as that had already been discussed by players on both teams.
“We knew coming here or not coming here was not going to stop anything, but I think ultimately playing or not playing puts pressure on somebody,” Raptors guard Fred VanVleet said on Tuesday.
A day later, he’s been proven right.
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