NBA central office employees are striking in solidarity with players

Members of the NBA central office are starting to strike.

The NBA and WNBA ground to a halt over the last few days, as the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin prompted the Milwaukee Bucks to boycott their game against the Orlando Magic, with every other NBA team that was scheduled to play that day also doing the same. This movement has spread to other sports, as the MLS and NFL have canceled practices and games. Even members of the league office decided to not show up at work as a show of solidarity.

Around 100 league employees decided to go on strike in a show of support with the players. Rather than go into work, those employees will spend the day calling elected officials as they try to demand change after the Blake shooting.

These NBA employees are standing with players from both the NBA and WNBA

While the league almost risked stopping the entire season due to the fact powerful voices like LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers teammates wanted to leave the bubble, the NBA’s plan on how to foster increased civic engagement eventually won him over and prompted the league to restart games this weekend. 

The league released a statement in the immediate aftermath in which they claim that they understand where these employees are coming from and respect their right to make their feelings heard.

Actions like this show that those within the league office are in lockstep with those players who made the bold decision to put their feelings on social justice above their on-court contributions. While they won’t solve police brutality by taking off work for a day, raising awareness and promoting activity at the polls might conceivably be tied to the league’s performance over the last few days.