Celtics star Jaylen Brown said Tuesday it’s possible that Boston and Golden State players could boycott an NBA Finals game to protest gun violence.
Brown made his comments about a potential boycott when asked by a reporter if the concern about gun violence in the United States would “rise to a moment” at which a boycott occurs.
“It could,” Brown responded during a press conference as the two teams prepare for Game 3 on Wednesday night. “You keep an open mind. You never know. Definitely things need to be addressed.”
The Celtics and Warriors both warmed up in “End Gun Violence” t-shirts before Game 2 on Sunday, about two weeks after a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, left 19 children and two teachers dead.
“Sometimes people argue ’stopping a basketball game, what affect is that going to have?’ I would say it raises awareness and that’s important.”
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 7, 2022
Jaylen Brown says rising gun violence in the country ’could’ lead to players deciding to sit out an #NBAFinals game in protest. pic.twitter.com/WrypQgTaQc
Outspoken Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before Game 1 that Americans should “put pressure” on politicians to enact gun control legislation.
“Murdering children in their classrooms has become a political issue,” Kerr said on ESPN. “What are we doing? So let’s put pressure on the people that are making these decisions to act on our best interests.”
Just over one week after the shooting in Uvalde, Warriors coach Steve Kerr on NBA Today: “Murdering children in their classroom has become a political issue. What are we doing? So let’s put pressure on the people that are making these decisions to act on our best interests..” pic.twitter.com/Jz2BVy5AbH
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) June 1, 2022
Brown said Tuesday that boycotting an NBA Finals game would be an “effective strategy” to protest gun violence.
“It raises awareness, and that’s important. It gets people’s attention,” Brown said. “It’s a topic that’s being talked about now. Certain people have pressure on them, and changes need to start to get made.”
“Do I have the answer if [a boycott] is something we’ll see in the near future? I don’t,” Brown added. “But, we’ll see.”
Game 3 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for 9 p.m. The series is tied 1-1.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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