Chris Paul's first answer after a dramatic playoff victory was about the Jacob Blake shooting

(Image credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

published 24 August 2020

Chris Paul led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a dramatic, playoff series-tying win over the favored Houston Rockets on Monday, but the long-time NBA star wasn't focused on the victory after the buzzer sounded. Instead, Paul answered the first question in his post-game interview by bringing attention to Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday and remains hospitalized.

Paul, who noted that he and his fellow NBA players promised to speak out against social injustices before they restarted their season in the Orlando bubble last month, said "it's not right" in reference to the shooting. He then challenged NBA players and other professional athletes to make sure their teammates register to vote and head to the polls later this year.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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