In response to the ongoing acts of police brutality against the African-American community, the National Basketball Coaches Association has come together to establish a new committee dedicated to racial injustice and reform, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The committee will aim to pursue solutions to ongoing racial issues within NBA cities.
All 30 of the NBA's head coaches reportedly joined a Zoom call on Saturday, and many also participated in a committee meeting on Sunday. The NBCA is also planning a call on Tuesday in order to discuss how the newly formed committee can take action right away across the league's landscape, according to NBCA president Rick Carlisle and executive director David Fogel.
In addition to announcing the formation of the new committee, the NBCA also released a strongly-worded statement on Monday in response to the recent death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. The statement reads as follows:
Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to the family of George Floyd.
As NBA coaches -- both head and assistant coaches -- we lead groups of men, most of whom are African American, and we see, hear and share their feelings of disgust, frustration, helplessness and anger... The events of the past few weeks -- police brutality, racial profiling and the weaponization of racism are shameful, inhumane and intolerable... As a diverse group of leaders, we have a responsibility to stand up and speak out for those who don't have a voice – and to stand up and speak out for those who don't feel it is safe to do so.
Witnessing the murder of George Floyd in cold blood and in broad daylight has traumatized our nation, but the reality is that African Americans are targeted and victimized on a daily basis. As NBA coaches, we cannot treat this as an isolated incident of outrage... We are committed to working in our NBA cities with local leaders, officials and law enforcement agencies to create positive change in our communities. We have the power and platform to affect change, and we will use it.
Several current head coaches, including Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr, Lloyd Pierce, Doc Rivers and Quin Snyder, were among the names selected to the committee, and helped to craft the statement. In all, the statement included the signatures of 33 current and former head coaches and over 175 assistant coaches. The NBA's coaches obviously feel strongly about the issue, as they should, and are united in their effort to identify resolutions. They're competitors on the court, but off it they're all on the same team when it comes to fighting against racial injustice.
