Six athlete protests that changed history
NBA Players Wear “I Can’t Breathe” Shirts
Back in December of 2014, the death of African-American Eric Garner took everyone by surprise. Garner was questionably treated (to put it politely) by police officers despite Garner yelling “I can’t breathe” numerous times. Garner eventually died of a heart attack. Many NBA players felt upset by his death. A group of NBA players led by LeBron James and Kobe Bryant wore shirts honoring Garner.
It’s rare to see famous athletes take such a strong stance. At a time when the African-American community needed them the most, NBA players stepped up to lead the way. While it might have angered some people, it also helped to stimulate dialogue. The NBA decided not to punish any of the superstars for their actions.
“Obviously, we know that our society needs to get better,” James told CNN. “Violence is not the answer and retaliation isn’t the solution. As a society we know we need to get better, but it’s not going to be done in one day. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
This perhaps inspired Carmelo Anthony to be more active. Anthony has been a catalyst for social change of late, and it’s hard to argue he wasn’t inspired by LeBron and Kobe.
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