Yahoo Lifestyle Yahoo sources: LeBron James leads Lakers, Clippers from meeting after voting to end NBA playoffs
The Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers both voted to end the NBA playoffs in a meeting among players remaining in the bubble, sources tell Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes.
The meeting took place after Wednesday’s games were postponed amid player protest of the police shooting of 29-year-old Black man Jacob Blake. Haynes reports that Lakers and Clippers players left the meeting after casting their votes.
Sources: LeBron James stormed out
Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill reports that LeBron James initially planned to vote with the consensus, but got angry and stormed out of the meeting. He also reports that there was frustration that the Milwaukee Bucks decided to initiate Wednesday’s walkout on their own.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports that every team besides the Lakers and Clippers voted to keep playing. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Wednesday’s player votes were not final and that discussions will continue through Thursday.
So, what now?
The fate of Thursday’s playoff games and beyond remains unclear. Without resolution Wednesday night, it seems unlikely that games will be played on Thursday.
Three games are scheduled for Thursday — Nuggets-Jazz, Celtics-Raptors and Clippers-Mavericks. The Bucks prompted the postponement of three games on Wednesday when they declined to take the floor for their Game 5 matchup against the Orlando Magic.
The Thunder-Rockets and Lakers-Trail Blazers matchups scheduled later Wednesday were subsequently postponed.
Why the players walked out
The Bucks issued a team statement at a news conference after Wednesday’s decision to walk out. Sterling Brown and George Hill read the statement demanding accountability from Wisconsin lawmakers and law enforcement after police in Kenosha shot Blake in the back several times, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, according to his father.
“We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable,” Hill said while reading from the statement. “For this to occur, it is imperative for the Wisconsin state legislature to reconvene after months of inaction and take up meaningful measures to address issues of police accountability, brutality and criminal justice reform. We encourage all citizens to educate themselves, take peaceful and responsible action and remember to vote on Nov. 3.”
“Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there have been no actions, so our focus cannot be on basketball,” Brown added.
Bucks players declined to answer questions then on whether they intended to keep playing.
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