Report: NBA Players Planning To Take Stand Against 2019-20 Season Restart

NBA players are planning to discuss a way to take a stand against restarting the 2019-20 NBA season in Orlando. Close to 200 players are expected to take part in a Zoom call on Friday, reports Bleacher Report‘s Howard Beck.

The Nets’ Kyrie Irving has reportedly been a “driving force” in organizing the call, per Beck.

Some players reportedly believe that an isolated return to play amid social unrest is “bad optics for a league comprised predominantly of black men,” according to Yahoo’s Chris Haynes.

Other players have cited additional concerns, including “family situations, the inability to leave the Disney World Resort campus, [and] the coronavirus pandemic,” reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon, who is the Vice President of the NBPA, noted that a number of players have reached out to him with concerns about the NBA restart.

Brogdon told JJ Redick on a recent podcast that some NBA players are “super interested” in sitting out the rest of the season.

“I’ve talked to a few guys that are super interested in sitting out possibly. At the end of the day, I was actually talking to Chris Paul the other day and he said, ‘Man, this is an individual decision that every man has to make for himself.’ I think that’s exactly what it is. I think it depends on your perspective.”

Some players reportedly felt that their voices were not heard at a recent NBPA vote to approve the Board of Governors’ proposal to resume the season. They believe the best chance to have their voices heard is by organizing a unified opposition, per Rooks.

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