Pelicans and Jazz kneel in solidarity around ‘Black Lives Matter’ during national anthem (VIDEO)

The Pelicans and Jazz took part in a powerful moment during the national anthem.

It was entirely predictable. It was inevitable. And in fact, ESPN had already been reported that it would happen.

But when the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz chose to kneel in front of the words “Black Lives Matter” painted on the court during the national anthem Thursday evening, they used the first seeding game of the NBA‘s official restart in Orlando to make a power statement for equality and social justice.

Even if we knew this moment was coming, it didn’t make it any less impactful.

The Pelicans and Jazz made a powerful statement together.

In an act of solidarity, the players, coaches and referees knelt together — not as a sign of disrespect for the flag or American troops, but as a peaceful, silent protest to raise awareness about an important social issue.

The league also played a social justice feature following player introductions, prior to the national anthem. That video will run before the anthem for the first four days of the restart, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and teams will be allowed to submit content and graphics incorporating social justice issues to be shown on the venue’s in-game video boards.

The NBA has long been the most progressive major sports league in the U.S., and commissioner Adam Silver has already gone on record saying he respects his players’ right to peacefully protest. According to ESPN’s Malika Andrews, league officials are not expected to enforce an NBA rule from 1981 that requires players to stand during the national anthem.

NBA players inside and outside of the bubble have been vocal about protesting, raising awareness and pursuing justice after the senseless murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and too many others. Thursday’s demonstration showed that sports fans had better get used to this message, because it’s not going away anytime soon.