NBA Players Meeting Fails To Reach Consensus On Continuing Playoffs On Thursday Or Ending Season
Thursday’s NBA playoff schedule, and perhaps the entire playoffs, still hang in the balance, as a meeting of NBA players and coaches Wednesday failed to reach a concensus on next steps.
One top NBA writer said the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers both voted to end the season without continuing. The other teams allegedly wanted to play on.
Wednesday’s NBA playoff games were postponed when the Milwaukee Bucks – the team nearest Kenosha, Wisconsin, where the Jacob Blake shooting incident that sparked protests and looting took place – decided not to play their game. The NBA has not said when those games would be made up.
Players and coaches met for three hours today without reaching a conclusion, and discussed whether the season should continue. A person with knowledge of the meeting told the Associated Press that no decisions were reached.
Before teams arrived in the Orlando, Florida bubble where they’ve been playing, a movement was started by Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets to boycott the rest of the season. Despite Irving’s efforts, the NBA players decided to forge ahead. Now, weeks into their confinement and with many teams about to be eliminated, sentiments may have shifted. Some reports indicate that teams still with a shot at a title want to keep going, while those on the verge of elimination would just as soon end the season.
The NBA boycott was joined by teams from Major League Baseball (including the Milwaukee Brewers), Major League Soccer, and the WNBA. The National Hockey League games continued as scheduled.
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