Adam Silver Wants To See NBA Players Standing For The National Anthem All eyes will be on the NBA’s biggest stars this Tuesday night as the first game of the season tips-off with a primetime match-up between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks. This summer we witnessed both teams’ star players, Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony, take a stand for justice at the ESPY’s. In the wake of Colin Kaepernick’s “controversial” decision to take a knee during the National Anthem as a silent protest, many wonder whether or not players in the majority African-American NBA will follow suit. Commissioner Adam Silver seems to hope that they don’t according to an ESPN report… “I don’t know if the players are organizing anything,” Silver said at the NBA’s board of governors meeting in Manhattan. “All I can say is what we have seen in multiple preseason games so far is our players standing for the national anthem. It would be my hope that they continue to stand for the national anthem. I think that is the appropriate thing to do.” The commmish goes on to say: Silver said Kathy Behrens, NBA president of social responsibility and player programs, continues to talk with the players about the best approach moving forward. “We have had very constructive discussions … about meaningful action that we can take collectively in our communities to help build trust, whether between police officers and members of the community looking for constructive ways to address racial injustice, economic injustice,” Silver said. “I am very proud with the relationship we have built with the union, with the players on these issues. My expectation is that we’ll see into the regular season more of what we have seen in the preseason, which is a sense of, let’s deal directly with these important issues.” Would you like to see the Association’s biggest stars follow Colin Kaepernick’s lead? Image via AP
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The Kaepernick Effect: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Hopes NBA Players Will Stand For National Anthem