NBA season reportedly up in the air after 'ugly' NBA players' meeting on boycott


Led by the Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA postponed all three playoff games Wednesday in a boycott prompted by the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It appears likely that Thursday's games are off, too, as the NBA Board of Governors is hold an emergency meeting. The NBA players, quarantined together in a tournament bubble in Florida, met privately Wednesday night, according to multiple reports, to discuss what to do next. It was evidently a tense, emotional gathering.
Both Los Angeles teams, the Lakers and the Clippers, voted to boycott the remainder of the season, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported, then walked out, led by Lakers star LeBron James. All the other teams voted to play on, he added. But it isn't clear what that means in practice. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski's reported that the move by the Clippers and Lakers "was considered more of a polling, than a final vote," though "the resumption of the playoffs remains still up in the air."
Other sports leagues — MLB, WNBA, Major League Soccer, and tennis — suspended their games in solidarity with the NBA. "We keep loving this country and this country doesn't love us back," Clippers coach Doc Rivers lamented Tuesday night. LeBron James tweeted in all-caps Wednesday: "F--k this man!!!! We demand change. Sick of it."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
A tall ship adventure in the Mediterranean
The Week Recommends Sailing aboard this schooner and exploring Portugal, Spain and Monaco is a 'magical' experience
-
How drone warfare works
The Explainer From Ukraine to Iran, it has become clear that unmanned aircraft are rapidly revolutionising modern warfare
-
The tourist flood in the Mediterranean: can it be stemmed?
Talking Point Finger-pointing at Airbnb or hotel owners obscures the root cause of overtourism in holiday hotspots: unmanageable demand
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
What's Mark Cuban's net worth?
In Depth Not every Trump-era billionaire has gone full MAGA