President Donald Trump criticized the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Thursday after the organization postponed all three playoff games on Wednesday to protest racism and police brutality.
During a briefing on Hurricane Laura, Trump told reporters while he is not familiar with the NBA protests, he does not believe they are beneficial for the league or the nation.
“I don’t know much about the NBA protests. I know their ratings have been very bad because I think people are a little tired of the NBA, frankly. But, I don’t know too much about the protests,” Trump said.
He continued, “I know their ratings have been very bad and that’s unfortunate. They’ve become like a political organization and that’s not a good thing. I don’t think that’s a good thing for sports or for the country.”
Watch his comments below:
https://twitter.com/QuickTake/status/1299054564927254528
The Milwaukee Bucks released a statement on Wednesday after they boycotted Game 5 of their series against the Orlando Magic.
“Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin, we’ve seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, and the additional shooting of protestors,” the team said.
It continued, “Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball.”
The Milwaukee Bucks called for justice for Jacob Blake and demanded the officers involved be held accountable.
Former President Barack Obama applauded players for boycotting games, as IJR previously reported.
“I commend the players on the @Bucks for standing up for what they believe in, coaches like @DocRivers, and the @NBA and @WNBA for setting an example,” Obama said.
Protests erupted in Kenosha, Wis., leading to three nights of civil unrest, including arson, vandalism, and a shooting on Tuesday night that killed two people and injured a third, as IJR previously reported.
